


EOTW: Novella One: Sushi's Society

by Jayie_The_Hufflepuff



Series: Warriors: Series 5.5: Echoes of the War [7]
Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-12
Updated: 2016-06-10
Packaged: 2018-06-07 21:50:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 31,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6825865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jayie_The_Hufflepuff/pseuds/Jayie_The_Hufflepuff
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>First Novella in the EOTW series. Sushi has only known peace in Twolegplace, but that peace is shattered when Scourge turns the cats there into the deadly BloodClan. Sushi must become a hardened fighter for her family to survive. But the death of Scourge only raises more questions. Will Sushi ever be free from the bloodshed? And what will happen to BloodClan with their leader gone?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Allegiances

Sushi's Society Allegiances

**BLOODCLAN**

 

**LEADER**

SCOURGE – tiny black tom with one white paw and a tooth-spiked collar

**GUARDS**

GASH – skinny gray tom with yellow eyes and a tooth-spiked collar  
BONE – large black-and-white tom with green eyes and a tooth-spiked collar  
GOUGE – white tom with green eyes and a tooth-spiked collar  
HEMLOCK – dark gray tom with amber eyes and a tooth-spiked collar  
HISS - tortoiseshell she-cat with a tooth-spiked collar and amber eyes  
FRENZY – large white tom with yellow eyes, a scarred face, and a tooth-spiked collar  
VIPER – large cream she-cat with a scarred face and a tooth-spiked collar  
SCREECH - large gray tabby she-cat with golden eyes and a tooth-spiked collar  
SNIPE - tortoiseshell tom with a tooth-spiked collar  
SHATTER – skinny gray she-cat with green eyes  
SNAKE – large black-and-white tom with a tooth-spiked collar  
ICE – large black-and-white tom with a tooth-spiked collar  
FANG - gray tom with yellow eyes and a tooth-spiked collar  
TOOTH - gray tom with yellow eyes and a tooth-spiked collar  
BASHER – huge ginger tabby tom with yellow eyes and a tooth-spiked collar  
NIGHT – huge black tom with green eyes and a tooth-spiked collar

**MEMBERS**

CATFLAP - large dark gray-and-white tabby tom with green eyes  
BELLCHIME – small silver tabby she-cat with golden eyes  
STRETCH - dark ginger tabby tom with yellow eyes  
HUNCH - gray-and-white tom with a hunched back  
WHISKERS - white tom with long whiskers  
BUSTER - black-and-white tom  
STREETLIGHT - ginger-and-white she-cat with blue eyes  
STORMDRAIN - pale gray tom with light blue eyes  
BETSY - ginger tabby she-cat with amber eyes  
WRAPPER - dark gray tabby she-cat with a mangled tail and leg and green eyes  
SCRAPS - scrawny pale gray-and-white tom with pale golden eyes  
WILLIE – dark brown tabby tom with yellow eyes  
MINTY - dark gray she-cat with pale blue eyes  
SNAPPER – large tortoiseshell-and-white tom with yellow eyes  
TESS – skinny gray-and-white she-cat with green eyes  
POUNCE – small light ginger tabby tom with dark amber eyes  
BURROW - spotted gray tom with green eyes  
SNOWY - fluffy white she-cat pale blue eyes  
RAT - scruffy brown tabby she-cat with green eyes  
GLASS - large dark gray tabby tom with pale green eyes  
TUMBLE - tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with one green and one blue eye  
DIRTYFUR - brown speckled she-cat with green eyes  
BRISTLE - large spiky-furred black tom with dark amber eyes  
SONG - a tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with green eyes  
MAX - plump ginger tom with gray eyes  
BOX - scrawny brown tabby tom  
TIRE - black she-cat with yellow eyes and one ear torn away  
SHADOW - dark gray tom with golden eyes  
TALLY - lanky ginger she-cat with white legs and dark amber eyes  
DRIP - small gray-and-white tom with pale blue eyes  
FLASH – bright ginger tom with yellow eyes  
ZOOM – skinny black-and-white tom with yellow eyes  
ASH - pale gray tabby she-cat with green eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah. I know, it's a lot of cats, but BloodClan was supposed to be more cats than in all four forest Clans, and I don't think I've even hit that number here. Just pretend there's more cats in BloodClan than are on this list, if you like.
> 
> As for whether they're all getting drawn... maybe. After all, there's a ton of them, and they're not even from a book in the main series. If they do get drawn, I'll be taking my time with it. We'll see.
> 
> Anyway, a bunch of these cats are meant to be cats seen in the battle with BloodClan in The Darkest Hour. I'll explain who is who later, when I have time.


	2. Chapter One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sushi's story begins.

Warriors Series 5.5: Echoes of the War  
Novella 1: Sushi's Society  
Chapter One

     Sushi's earliest memories were of the warmth of her mother's pelt, and the stench of twolegs and fish. She and her littermates, Wrapper and Scraps, toddled around the gray stone pathways of twolegplace before they were old enough to realize it's dangers. The happy memories of those first innocent moons were what helped carry her through the seasons to come.

     Her mother, Bellchime, had a soft silver pelt, and delicate paws, unfitting of a street cat. She was small too, with a gentle gleam in her golden eyes. Sushi knew her mother had once lived with twolegs as their kittypet, but her mother didn't speak of it often. She certainly looked more kittypet than rogue. Sushi wondered more than once how such a soft she-cat had come to live on the streets.

     Her mate, Catflap, looked far more like a rogue. He was a big, hefty tom, with dark striped patches splashed across his white pelt. Intelligent green eyes peered from his dark gray face, but they were always filled with warmth when he beheld his mate and kits. Together, he and Bellchime kept their kits fed and sheltered. In their first moons, the kits didn't know of any hardships. Bellchime was not always able to give them as much milk as they wanted, but the mates worked hard to make sure their kits were happy and safe.

     They lived behind a twoleg den that always smelled of fish. The stony paths of twolegplace were unforgiving, but the dumpsters behind the den offered shelter, and the twolegs left scraps of fish in the dumpsters that were a steady source of prey. Bellchime and Catflap had named their kits after their home, and the blessings it brought them. In those early moons, Sushi and her littermates wanted for nothing.

     Then everything changed, the day he came.

     Sushi was old enough by then to hear the older cats whispering to each other, and to pay attention to what they said. She heard them swapping gossip about the pint-sized kittypet who had managed to frighten off a vicious dog. The talk continued in the following weeks. The kittypet had beaten off hostile forest cats now. He had even killed one of them, the whispers said. He was their leader, he protected them, he looked out for every cat in twolegplace.

     Bellchime and Catflap did their best to keep their kits away from the dangers of the dogs and forest cats, and consequently from the new kittypet. But Sushi saw him once. A tiny black tom was passing by one day, his head and tail held high. He was the size of Sushi and her littermates, but she could see his fur didn't have the same kitten softness; he was at least a few moons older, despite his small size.

     Sushi could see a purple collar hung around his neck, but as he padded past, she saw something that made her pelt crawl. Two fangs, one larger and one smaller, were pierced through his collar. As Sushi stared uneasily at the young tom, he turned, glancing briefly in her direction. Sushi felt a chill as she saw the coldness in his ice-blue gaze. After a moment, he turned away, padding away without a word. The she-kit watched him go, feeling uneasy, though she wasn't sure why.

     She wished she could have understood then that the good times were over.

**SCENEBREAK**

     No longer did cats talk of the young kittypet savior. Scourge's spies were everywhere, and no cat dared to breathe of their leader's soft beginnings. Sushi, Wrapper, and Scraps had grown, and had learned the meaning of fear.

     They were not quite old enough that they could no longer live with their parents. At ten moons old, Sushi had grown taller than either of her littermates, her gray striped pelt already showing signs of the muscular cat she would become. It was becoming clear that she would inherit her father's large build and his strength, though her gray pelt and golden eyes were more similar to her mother.

     Wrapper had their father's dark gray striped pelt and green eyes, though not the muscle or the white in her fur. She had been a skilled hunter once, but some of Scourge's guards had gotten angry at her once for taking prey where she shouldn't have, and they had left her with a mangled tail and a limp. Now she could barely catch the slow, plump mice that scurried along the streets.

     Scraps had their mother's pale pelt, splotching his white pelt, and her pale golden eyes. Unfortunately, he had also inherited her small size, looking perpetually scrawny. He had their mother's sweetness, but had always been slow to learn. As much as Sushi and Catflap tried to teach him how to hunt and fight for himself, his hunting crouch remained lop-sided, his paws clumsy, and his timing horrible. Sushi feared he would never be a skilled hunter.

     Even worse, the familiar gentle gaze of her mother was starting to grow dull. Bellchime insisted that she was fine, but the rest of the family knew better. Bellchime's golden gaze grew more glassy by the day, and she relied more and more on Catflap to help her navigate the streets. They all knew Bellchime was slowly losing her sight.

     With only Catflap and Sushi in full health for hunting, and Catflap growing older and more stiff in his joints by the day, the family's fate seemed grimmer and grimmer. Sushi knew that when she and her littermates turned twelve moons old, they would have to leave their parents and live on their own, according to the rules of BloodClan. And Sushi knew that the moment that happened, her family would starve. Wrapper and Scraps were poor hunters, and Catflap was becoming too old to support himself and a blind Bellchime. If they didn't work together to survive, they would die, and if they worked together, Scourge would punish them all.

     In the end, Sushi knew she had no choice. That was what she told herself, over and over, in the moons to come.

**SCENEBREAK**

     Her pelt trembled with fear as she padded into the narrow alley. Cats with lean, battle-scarred pelts were everywhere, sitting atop boxes, slinking along the pavement, glaring at her with cold, narrowed eyes. She had known some of these cats from the days before Scourge. A tortoiseshell she-cat named Hiss sat nearby, watching her pass with narrowed eyes. Hiss was an old friend of Bellchime and Catflap from moons ago. But Sushi knew that old friends meant nothing now in the face of Scourge's power. Even with Hiss here, she was on her own.

     As she passed Scourge's guards, a shiver ran through Sushi's pelt as she saw the light glinting unnaturally on the teeth and claws that adorned their collars. But she forced herself to keep going, fighting to keep her hackles from bristling.

     Blood was pounding in her ears as she reached the end of the alley. The tiny black tom was lying across the red stones, watching Sushi's approach with a cold gleam to his eyes. Sushi came to stand before him, trying desperately to ignore the stares of the other cats as she dipped her head to him. “It's an honor, Scourge,” she murmured. Sushi didn't dare look up, but she could still see the paws of the cats in front of her. The massive white paws of Bone were visible, Scourge's second-in-command growling at the young she-cat.

     Scourge watched Sushi with cold indifference, his tail-tip flicking from side to side. “I am not in the habit of accepting visitors here,” he mewed in his high, cold tone. “Unless they have something worth my time to say.” Scourge paused a moment. “You better hope whatever brought you here is worth my time,” he growled coolly. “What do you want?”

     The growls of the cats surrounding her nearly made Sushi lose her nerve. After taking a moment to slow her panicked breathing, she managed to mew hoarsely, “My name is Sushi, sir. I came to ask...”

     “Ah, I remember you now,” Scourge interrupted. “Wrapper's sister, yes? The kit of Bellchime and Catflap?” Sushi felt a rush of anger at the mention of her sister, brutally injured by Scourge's own guards. “I hope you don't have the same regard for the rules as your sister,” Scourge added, sounding indifferent.

     Sushi took a moment to pull her anger back under control. “No, sir,” she murmured. “I respect the rules of BloodClan, and I have come to ask if I can join your guard, so I can help to defend those rules.”

     She could hear his short huff of amusement. “You think it's that easy?” Scourge sneered, his tone making Sushi flinch. “That you can just walk in here and be accepted into my guard just like that?” Sushi forced herself to remain perfectly still as Scourge stood, coming to circle around the young she-cat. “You look like you're barely ten moons old. We only accept strong fighters here, not half-grown kits trying to prove themselves.”

     Other cats were moving in now, snarling and laughing their contempt. “Look at her shaking,” a large white tom taunted. Sushi recognized him as Frenzy, one of Scourge's newest recruits. The tom prodded her hard in the side with one paw, nearly unbalancing her. He gave an ugly laugh. “Some fighter. We should teach her a lesson for thinking she could be one of us.”

     While the other cats continued to jeer and snarl, Scourge lowered his muzzle to Sushi's ear. She had to fight to keep from flinching away as he murmured, “If you want to be part of my guard, you have to prove yourself. Impress me.” He pulled away his muzzle. “Or else.”

     Sushi knew what he was telling her. She had to prove that she was a capable fighter – and there was only one way to do it. Other cats were surrounding her, yowling their contempt. She could hear Gouge and Gash hissing curses at her, while Hemlock was giving a vicious snarl. But Frenzy was still the closest. He prodded her again, this time with his claws unsheathed, sticking them into her pelt. A gasp of pain escaped Sushi, even as she fought to keep silent. “What a weak little kittypet!” Frenzy sneered, a snarl entering his tone. “I'm going to make you regret coming here today.”

      _Wait for it..._ Sushi kept still, her muscles tensed in readiness as Frenzy reached a paw out to prod her again. _Now!_

     As he reached his paw towards her again, she whirled on him, snapping her jaws down on his paw faster than he could react, and yanking it forward. Frenzy was unbalanced, stumbling forward with a screech of alarm, while Sushi swiped at his flank with unsheathed claws.

     Surprise had made Frenzy slow to react, but now the surprise was gone. Frenzy regained his balance, whirling on her with a roar of fury. Sushi screeched as the massive tom bowled her over, knocking her to the ground and slicing into her with furious claws. Terror was making Sushi's heart thrashed against her chest; Frenzy was a huge, powerful cat, and she was still so young. What had she gotten herself into?

     After a moment, Sushi remembered her family, and new determination spurred her on. If she lost this fight, her family would starve. Sushi lashed out with unsheathed claws, slicing through Frenzy's shoulder. As he screeched in pain, she took advantage of his distraction, wriggling free from his grasp. As he tried to stop her from rising, Sushi spun around to face him, bringing her front paw slamming down across his face, claws tearing into flesh. His agonized scream sent chills down Sushi's spine, but she forced out a vicious snarl instead, lunging forward and barreling into Frenzy. The two cats were sent tumbling to the ground, locked in a screeching whirl of claws and teeth.

     “Enough.” The simple command from Scourge was enough to make the fight stop immediately. Sushi broke away from Frenzy, panting heavily. Pain pulsed in a wound on her shoulder, and her muzzle stung like fury. Frenzy bore the marks of their battle too; she felt a rush of satisfaction as she saw the deep slices through his face, which were certain to scar. Frenzy glared hatred at Sushi through narrowed yellow eyes, spitting, but he didn't move to attack. Both cats stayed where they were as Scourge padded towards them.

     Sushi finally dared to look up at Scourge. The tiny black tom was watching her with an amused gleam to his eyes. She wasn't sure if she was imagining his impressed expression. “Not bad,” Scourge finally conceded, flicking his tail-tip. “It's not every cat who can fare so well against one of my guards.” He turned his cold glare on Frenzy, who flinched away from his stare, grumbling under his breath. Sushi knew that Frenzy had lost respect in Scourge's eyes – and that she had just made an enemy out of him. She kept her chin up, glaring down Frenzy as the white tom glared once more at her. She couldn't let him know that she was afraid.

     Scourge's voice drew her attention again. “Perhaps you can learn to be one of us after all.” She held her breath, lowering her head as Scourge came and touched his nose to her forehead. In a clear voice, for every cat to hear, Scourge announced, “This cat is now a member of my guard. From this moment on, she will be called Screech.”

     Screech released the breath she had been holding. The cats surrounding her were growling her new name, whether in approval or distrust, she couldn't tell. The tortoiseshell Hiss approached Screech, nudging her shoulder and giving a welcoming grunt, and she saw Hemlock nodding slowly. But Frenzy was still glaring at her, and Viper was snarling as she looked at the cat who had beat her brother in battle.

     The new guard knew this wasn't over. She was the newest guard, and it was going to take a long time to prove herself. She would have to punish those who broke the rules of BloodClan, no matter how cruel the punishment. But she would be given all the privileges of a guard, including being allowed to hunt wherever she wanted, and catch as much prey as she wanted. And if she was careful, she could sneak prey to her family and keep them alive. This was all for them. Whatever came next, whatever horrible things she would have to do in the name of Scourge, it would all be worth it if her family made it.

     That's what she kept telling herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. This isn't something I thought I'd be writing. But I am.
> 
> Yes, the cats I've been posting ref sheets for are from BloodClan. And yes, this story is canon to the EOTW universe. This is going to be the standard length of a novella, about nine chapters total. I'll explain more later.
> 
> By the way, Frenzy is meant to be the white cat in Escape from the Forest with the big scars on his face.


	3. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some years later

Warriors Series 5.5: Echoes of the War  
Novella 1: Sushi's Society  
Chapter Two

     “I'm sorry! We won't do it again!”

     Screech loomed over the trembling young cats, hackles raised and teeth bared in a snarl. “Sorry isn't enough,” she growled. She took a threatening step towards the two cats, the dog teeth that reinforced her claws clicking against the pavement. They flinched away from the sound with wide eyes. “You hunted in territory that belongs to Scourge. No cat is allowed to hunt here without his say-so.”

     The littermates stared up at her, fear mixing with defiance in their eyes. They were barely seven moons old, still young enough to live with their mother. “That mouse ran into the alley,” Tally muttered. The lanky ginger she-cat was crouched beside her smaller brother, Drip. While Drip was looking away with his ears flattened, Tally was staring boldly up at Screech, though she could see Tally's hackles bristling in fear. “We just chased it, and then we found that other rat...”

     Screech's growl was enough to silence Tally. “BloodClan doesn't care about excuses,” she sneered. The fear in their eyes filled Screech with horrible guilt, but she had long ago learned how to push the guilt to the back of her mind so she could do her job. “Only about our laws. And you broke those laws.”

     “But –”

     Screech didn't give her a chance to answer. She lunged, easily knocking the young she-cat to the ground. Tally squealed in shock as Screech dug her reinforced claws into her pelt, keeping the smaller she-cat pinned to the ground and tearing through the soft flesh of her sides.

     “Leave her alone!” Drip leaped at the she-cats, but Screech raised up on her hind paws, easily swatting the young tom away. Tally tried to take advantage of her loose grip to squirm away, but Screech hooked her claws into Tally's pelt, dragging the young she-cat closer to her. Even as Tally struggled and cried out in pain, Screech kept her pinned. With a snarl, she closed her jaws over the thin flesh of Tally's ear, then jerked her muzzle away, taking a large chunk of flesh with it. Tally's scream of pain rang in Screech's ears, nearly making her woozy with regret, but she ignored it.

     Feeling sick, Screech lifted her muzzle, releasing her grip on Tally and backing away so she could stand. Tally rose unsteadily to her paws, swaying as blood pulsed from her wounds. A large tear had been left on the top of Tally's ear. Drip had risen from where Screech had thrown him, and he had crossed over to his sister and was licking her wounded ear. While he and his sister were distracted, Screech raised her paw, bringing it slicing down across his face with a snarl. Drip screeched as he reeled back from the blow, blood spurting from a slice across his muzzle.

     As the siblings huddled together, staring up at Screech with wide eyes, Screech took a step back, lashing her tail. “Go home to your mother,” she sneered. “Tell her that next time you break the laws of BloodClan, I won't let you off so easily.”

     They stared at her in stunned silence, still petrified from the attack. “Get going!” Screech snapped, taking a threatening step towards them. That was enough to get them moving. Tally and Drip scrambled away, racing across the alley as fast as their paws could carry them. Screech watched them go, waiting until they were out of sight to let her hackles lie flat. She settled on the cobblestones, reaching her muzzle down to lick the blood from her dog-tooth claws.

     “Nicely done.” Screech lifted her head, ears flicking towards Scourge's voice. The tiny black tom was padding towards her, tail flicking in greeting.

     Screech dipped her head to her leader, then returned to her grooming. “Those two won't be hunting in your alleys again anytime soon,” she commented between lapsing her tongue over her blood-stained fur.

     “They would be fools to do so,” Scourge mewed simply. Screech finished washing and rose to her paws. The two cats set off, strolling through the street.

     Four leafbares had passed since Screech had joined Scourge's guard. Since then, she had become one of the strongest and most respected members of that guard. She had grown to her father's large size – Scourge barely reached her shoulder as they walked side by side down the street. Her striped gray fur covered hard muscle, and her pelt was criss-crossed with the scars of many battles, one ear torn completely at the top. The cats of Twolegplace knew her, and feared her.

     A collar sat around her neck, studded with teeth and claws. One of her first missions when she had joined the guard had been to steal a collar from a kittypet, to mark herself as one of Scourge's guards. The poor thing had been bloody and screeching by the time Screech had won the collar from him. Her first tooth had come from her first kill, a she-cat who had been taking prey from Scourge's alleys. Since then, she had won the teeth and collars from fights, sometimes killing, sometimes not. And some had been gifts from those who wanted to show their admiration for Scourge's guards. She knew the story behind each one, and every story make her sick to her stomach.

      _But it's worth it,_ Screech reminded herself firmly. _For my family._ She had been able to support her family for four leafbares, and she knew that it was four leafbares they would not have had if she didn't have the full resources of a BloodClan guard. Screech was not just good at what she did for Scourge, she was exceptional, and she worked very had to make sure it stayed that way. Because of how well she did what Scourge ordered her, he often looked the other way when she brought full meals of prey to the four members of her family. Catflap's joints were too stiff to hunt well now, and Bellchime had gone completely blind, but the elderly mates were better-fed than any elder in BloodClan now.

     It had taken Wrapper some moons to forgive Screech for joining the guard that had attacked her so viciously in the past. But eventually, she and Scraps had come to realize that Screech was doing this for them. Screech kept her family protected from the wrath of Scourge's guards, kept them fed, and kept them alive. She didn't tell them everything that she did in Scourge's name, but she knew that they suspected a lot of it. Scraps and Wrapper didn't say anything about it anymore, and Catflap and Bellchime were always there for her when the guilt was too much to bear.

     She knew that some of the prey she brought them were quickly given to other needy Twolegplace cats as soon as Screech's back was turned, including the cats Screech had hurt. Knowing that only managed to put a small dent in Screech's guilt. She hated what she had become for Scourge. But as long as it kept her family alive, she would continue to do his dirty work, no matter how much it made her hate herself.

     Her attention was drawn back to Scourge as her leader continued to speak. “You would think those kits would know better,” he was saying. “They're good friends with Bone's kits, and his kits certainly know better than to break our laws.” Scourge often prided himself on knowing everything about every cat in twolegplace.

     Screech shrugged. “I've seen them playing with Zoom, Flash, and Ash,” she agreed. Bone's litter with the she-cat Hiss were around the same age as Tally and Drip, being only one moon older, and she had often seen the litters playing together. “Hunger can make a cat do strange things,” she continued. “Even cats who know the rules well will break them if they're desperate enough.”

     Scourge grunted in agreement. For a while, the two cats didn't speak, just walking through the streets and alleys together. The murderous leader of BloodClan still disgusted Screech just as much as when she had first joined his guard, but she had learned to control her disgust and push it to the back of her mind many moons ago. Now, she could spend as much time with him as she needed, acting as amiable as if his violence and bloodlust didn't bother her at all. To all appearances, she was his friend and loyal guard.

     After walking in silence for a while, Scourge spoke again. “I'm glad I found you out here. There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about.”

     “Oh?” Screech glanced down at her leader.

     Scourge nodded. “I've been thinking lately. We've known each other for seasons – and those seasons are starting to show.” Amusement sparked in his cold gaze. “We aren't old yet, but we're not exactly young anymore. And I know that one day, I won't be here anymore.”

     Screech glanced uneasily at Scourge. She wasn't sure what he was trying to get at. It felt too unsafe to comment on his age or death, so all she mewed in reply was, “No cat lives forever.”

     “Indeed not,” Scourge agreed. “But BloodClan must continue after I have gone.” He glanced down the street, waving his tail to gesture to Twolegplace. “I won't have everything I've built here fall apart after I die. My legacy must continue.”

     There was something in Scourge's gaze that Screech didn't understand yet. She began to feel uneasy, but she kept her pelt smooth, looking back calmly at the tiny tom. “What does this have to do with me?” she asked quietly.

     Scourge blinked at her, a purr rising in his throat. “I have decided that I will take a mate,” he told her. Something cold gripped at Screech's heart as he pressed his pelt against hers, bile rising in her throat. “Kits will mean heirs to carry on my name. And I think there can be no better choice than you as the mother of my kits.”

      _No, no, nononononono...._ It took a massive amount of willpower to keep from yanking herself away from Scourge. She had killed and maimed for Scourge for over four leafbares, but what he was asking was too much, even for her. Desperately, she tried to think of something, some reason he would accept for why should couldn't be his mate. “I... I'm flattered, Scourge,” she lied, hoping he wouldn't realize how much she wanted to be away from him. “But I don't know if I'm worthy of such a thing.”

     “Nonsense,” Scourge purred smoothly. “You're the strongest and most loyal she-cat in the Clan. Our kits will inherit your strength, and my cunning. They will carry on my legacy as the leaders of BloodClan after I am gone.” He blinked at her, almost looking amused as she listened, repulsed. “You will be honored as my mate, and your legacy will be remembered along with mine.”

     “With... with respect, Scourge,” she rasped, her voice suddenly hoarse, “I don't care about how I'm remembered. All I want is to serve you loyally in the time I have. But I've never really wanted kits.” _And certainly never your kits,_ she added silently, fighting the urge to shudder. If she accepted, she would have to be mates with the cat she hated above all others. She would have to give birth to his kits, and she would have to watch those kits be raised to be just as vicious and cruel as their father. It was too much, even for everything she'd already sacrificed.

     Something dangerous glinted in Scourge's icy gaze. “But I do,” he mewed quietly. Screech knew him well enough to know that this soft tone meant she should be afraid. “And I know you will be a good mother to them.” He flicked his tail, suddenly looking disinterested as he scuffed at a pebble on the ground with one reinforced claw. “You will receive special privileges, of course, as the mother of my kits. You will be given the best share of prey, the best protection. You will be given a den close to the heart of BloodClan, where you will be given the very best treatment. For you – and for your family.” Though his tone was casual, she could see the sharp interest in his gaze as it flitted to her.

     Screech froze, horrible fear swelling in her chest. _My family!_ As much as it had sounded like an offer, Screech knew a threat when she heard one. She knew very well that if she refused Scourge's offer, her family would pay the price for it. But if she accepted, her family would be given the best protection BloodClan had to offer. They would share her den in the heart of Twolegplace, they would be given the top privileges, they would never have to worry about starving again. It was too good an offer to pass up.

     Screech closed her eyes, feeling ill. “I'm honored to be your mate, Scourge,” she whispered.

     Satisfaction glittered in Scourge's eyes. “Good,” he purred. He brushed against her shoulder, the teeth on his collar scraping against her pelt, while his tail-tip flicked against her flank. “You made the right choice.”

     With a shudder, Screech prayed that he was right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, this is another Scourge-has-kits story. :P Most of those stories seem to focus more on the kits though, while I'm focusing more on the mate, so there is that. ^^
> 
> Here we get to see more of Screech as a guard, and the sort of things she does for Scourge, and how she feels about them. And how she feels about her new mate. Next chapter will be when we get to see the kits - I'm rather proud of my names/designs and such for them, so I can't wait to reveal that. ^^ I'll try to post again soon.


	4. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kits arrive

Warriors Series 5.5: Echoes of the War  
Novella 1: Sushi's Society  
Chapter Three

     Screech had never felt so exhausted. Her entire body ached from the effort of the kitting. But it was finally over, and the pain was finally fading.

     “Oh, Screech,” Bellchime murmured. Screech's family had been there for during the kitting, and now they were huddled around her, cooing over the kits. “They're wonderful.” The she-cat's golden gaze was glazed over; she couldn't see her daughter's new kits. But her paw was stroking the backs of the kits, and the joy still shined in her blind eyes. Catflap pressed against his mate, purring loudly. Screech saw his whispering in Bellchime's ear, telling her what the kits looked like.

     Scraps was crouched beside his sister, looking at the kits with bright joy. “They're so cute, Screech!” he purred, tail quivering with excitement. “I didn't realize they'd be so little.” He reached out a paw to poke the biggest kit, who squirmed away with a squeal.

     “You and your littermates were that little when you were born,” Catflap told his son, amusement in his purr. “Especially you,” he added in a teasing mew.

     The small tom didn't seem to mind the jab at his size. He just closed his eyes, purring, “I can't wait until they open their eyes. It'll be fun to show them around.” Screech purred in amusement. Her brother wasn't always the smartest when it came to hunting or learning to survive in Twolegplace, but he was always cheerful, and she knew that he would be a great uncle to her kits.

     Wrapper limped closer to her sister, a rush of regret coming over Screech as she saw her sister's twisted hind leg and tail. The dark tabby pressed against her sister, murmuring, “It doesn't matter who their father is. They'll be wonderful, just like you. We'll make sure of it.” Screech's breath caught. She stared at her sister, surprised that Wrapper had been so shrewd about her fears, and praying that she was right.

     Screech turned her gaze back to her kits. They were so tiny, their pelts plastered to their bodies and their eyes closed. She had been dreading the birth of these kits, feeling repulsed whenever she thought about their father. But now, looking at them, she could see that they weren't just little versions of Scourge. They were her kits, their own cats, and they were precious to her. She scooped them closer to her belly, lowering her head and tail over them to protect them. _I'll always be here for you, little ones,_ she thought.

     Nearby pawsteps warned her of the approaching cats. Her good mood soured as Scourge slipped into the den, shaking rain from his pelt. When Screech realized she was about to give birth, she and her family had sheltered from the storm in an abandoned building, which served as a central gathering place for BloodClan cats and as the den for Screech and her family.

     Scourge's ice-blue eyes glinted with interest as he approached. “Is it over?” he asked, tail flicking behind him. He padded up to Screech, peering at her belly curiously. Wrapper glared at Scourge as he drew nearer, but didn't dare growl. The rest of her family were frozen, pelts fluffed out uncomfortably.

     Screech fought a wave of disgust, wanting to curl even tighter around her kits to protect them. But she knew she couldn't disobey him now. Obediently, she drew her muzzle and tail away from the kits, displaying them for Scourge to see. They squeaked in surprise as the warmth suddenly disappeared.

     The leader blinked, something almost like fondness in his gaze. “They're perfect,” he murmured. He crouched over the kits, looking over each of them in turn. For a moment, Screech could almost pretend that he was the loving father her kits deserved. Then, he gave a small shake of his head. “They look strong. They'll make good heirs.”

     Screech merely dipped her head in response. “Yes, Scourge.”

     He looked up at her for a moment. “Do they have names yet?”

     “No, Scourge,” she mewed. “I was waiting for you to arrive.” As much as she would have preferred to name the kits herself, she knew that Scourge would have punished her if she had dared to name his heirs before him.

     The tiny tom gave a nod of approval. He looked over the kits briefly, seeming to think. After a moment, he reached his muzzle down, bumping the largest tom with his muzzle. The tom was mostly black, with white on his belly, chest, face, and paws and tail-tip. He looked strangely like Bone, large and black-and-white like him, but he seemed to be built almost exactly like Screech.

     “This one will be Plague,” Scourge murmured. Screech's fur prickled eerily along her spine – would Scourge really be cruel enough to burden her kits with names like that? “He is the strongest – he will bring suffering to any who dare to challenge BloodClan.”

     “But that's – !” Wrapper began to protest, but Scraps pulled her away, looking scared. Scourge's gaze flitted to Wrapper, but after a moment he looked away, turning his attention back to his kits.

     He turned to the second tom next. The other tom in the litter wasn't very large like Screech, and he wasn't very small like Scourge; he seemed more average in size. He was black from head to toe, with what seemed to be a sleek pelt. “This one will be Darkness,” Scourge continued. “He wears darkness on his pelt, and he will use darkness to aid him. One day, he will make a great spy for BloodClan, hiding in shadows, staying silent and listening, slipping into whatever role he needs to play to learn the information needed. And he will bring darkness to any who betray BloodClan.”

     Screech closed her eyes, feeling despair wash over her. Two kits with dark names. How would kits with those names turn out? How would Scourge raise them? She barely dared to hope as Scourge turned his gaze to the last kit.

     The only she-cat in the litter was as tiny as her father, barely the size of a mouse as she wriggled beside her mother's belly. She had a bright, flame-colored tabby coat, with one white paw like her father. Out of the litter, she looked the most like her father. Scourge was staring at her with narrowed eyes; Screech couldn't imagine what he was thinking. “She's so puny,” he muttered. Screech felt a rush of fear; would he reject his kit? Or even try to get rid of her?

     After a moment, he shook his head firmly. “This one will be Scorch,” he finally mewed. Screech wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or not. “After her flame-colored pelt.” He gazed at his daughter a moment longer before announcing, “Scorch will be my heir.”

 

Screech felt a flicker of surprise – he had chosen the runt to be his heir? He was looking at Scorch with a mixture of fondness and disgust in his ice-blue eyes. Did he see himself in his daughter? Did he hate her, or admire her for it?

     “She will be as destructive and explosive as fire,” Scourge continued, “burning all of BloodClan's enemies to the very ground, until there's nothing but ash left.”

     Screech was beginning to feel panicked. Scourge was foretelling only cruelty and darkness in the futures of these kits through the names he gave them. Was there any hope for kits who would be raised by Scourge? She shifted into a tighter ball, curling more around her kits, in an unconscious effort to protect them. Scourge's gaze flicked briefly to her, but if he noticed, he said nothing.

     Suddenly, another cat rushed into the den. Screech looked up curiously as Tooth hurried in, shaking the rain from his pelt. “There are cats approaching the border, Scourge,” he announced. “They smell like forest cats.”

     Some intense emotion burned in Scourge's eyes for a moment. Then, it was gone, and he was as cold as ever. “Let them pass,” he ordered Tooth. “If they've come all the way from the forest, they must have come for a purpose. I'll join the guards and speak with Bone. We'll see what they do.” He glanced over at Screech, mewing, “You stay here with the kits. I'm sure you need to rest.” He trotted briskly for the entrance, Tooth following after him as they stepped back out into the rain, leaving Screech alone with her family.

     After waiting a few moments to make sure he was really gone, Screech let out the breath she'd been holding. She began grooming her kits, trying to ignore how unsettled she felt.

     “Well, I guess it's as good as you could expect from someone named Scourge,” Wrapper growled. Scraps and Catflap looked wearily at her, but Screech kept grooming the kits. “I wish I could rip his ears off.”

     Screech sighed. “Wrapper...” she warned, without any real bite to her tone. Wrapper glared at her a moment longer, then sighed and looked away. Screech knew that her sister hated Scourge more than any of the rest of them. But she also knew that any cat who dared to challenge Scourge would be lucky to be killed quickly.

     “But she's right,” Scraps mewed quietly. “Those names are horrible.”

     “Your kits deserved better,” Bellchime agreed in a soft mew.

     Screech sighed. She drew her muzzle back, gazing down at her kits. They were so tiny and new, and yet she loved them so much already. Her family was right; it wasn't fair to give such dark names to such young kits. A sudden rush of defiance came over her. She had never disobeyed an order from Scourge in her life. She was never willing to disobey him for herself, or for the cats of Twolegplace. But for these precious kits, she would.

     “You're right,” she growled, her family looking at her in surprise. “It isn't fair.” Screech looked up at her family, suddenly feeling determined. “And we're going to make it right. We're going to give them better names – secret names, that no one else will know about but us, and the kits.”

     Catflap and Wrapper were looking at Screech in surprise, but Scraps just gave an excited flick of his tail. “Now you're talking!” he mewed brightly. Bellchime pressed her muzzle against her daughter's ear, purring. Scraps turned his attention to the kits, sniffing at the largest kit. Plague shifted towards him, bumping against Scrap's muzzle as the small tom purred. “I don't know about you guys, but this little guy seems too sweet to be a Plague,” Scraps mewed. Plague nuzzled against Scraps' muzzle, apparently looking for warmth.

     “He just wants to snuggle,” Bellchime mewed in a soft purr. She reached down and began grooming the kit, purring soothingly. “He's going to be such a sweet cat.”

     Screech watched her son cuddled against his uncle's muzzle. “So not a Plague,” she murmured. “He'll be Snuggle instead.” Snuggle shifted, as though responding to his name.

     “Snuggle. I like it,” Bellchime purred.

     Catflap brushed his tail-tip against Darkness next. “What about this one?” he asked in his deep rumble. “No kit is born with darkness in his heart.”

     Darkness wriggled away from Catflap's touch. He shuffled back to his mother's paws, burying himself in her fur. Screech's whiskers twitched in amusement. She leaned down her muzzle to lick smooth his ruffled fur.

     “Poor little thing,” Scraps purred.

     Screech murmured, “He's not calculating like Scourge thinks – he's just a little shy.” She paused, thinking. “So he'll be Shy,” she decided. She tucked her paw around Shy, drawing him close to her chest.

     “Those are good names,” Catflap praised his daughter. She blinked gratefully up at him.

     Wrapper limped to her littermate, glancing at the last kit. “And now for Scorch,” she mewed.

     “Scorch isn't such a bad name,” Bellchime murmured. “Not compared to the others.”

     “But the reason for it is still awful,” Wrapper mewed firmly. “He thinks she'll be a flame to burn down everything. And besides, it sounds too much like Scourge.” She snorted. “Pompous furball wanted his heir to be as much like him as possible.”

     Screech looked over her daughter thoughtfully. There was something about the tiny ginger she-cat. She brushed her muzzle against her kit. Unlike Shy and Snuggle, Scorch didn't shy away from or cuddle up to the embrace. She squeaked, letting out a tiny yowl and butting her muzzle against Screech's as much as she could. It was such a little thing, but Screech knew it meant that her daughter was a fighter.

     “She'll be a light, like Scourge said,” she murmured. “But not a light to burn and destroy. A light to warm and protect. Not a fire – a sun. She'll be Sunny.”

     Her family gazed at the kits. Screech was almost overwhelmed by how much love was in their gazes as they looked at her new kits. “Snuggle, Shy, and Sunny,” Bellchime murmured. “They're perfect names.” She pressed her muzzle against Screech's cheek. “We'll help you raise them, Screech. We'll do everything to make sure they grow up better than their father.”

     Screech nodded, her throat suddenly tight. These three kits were so precious to her now. She had to protect them, whatever happened. She had to keep them kind, and make sure they never became killers like their father – or mother.

     She lowered her muzzle, tucking her tail around the kits. “I'll be here for you, little ones,” she murmured. “I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, got the next chapter done already. ^^ I really wanted to show you guys the new kits.
> 
> So here we are with Scourge's kits - Snuggle, Shy, and Sunny. I liked how their parents both started with S, so I wanted them to as well. :P I'm pretty proud of their descriptions. I'll add their eye colors here too for those wondering. Snuggle had green eyes (making him look even more like Bone), they're the exact same shade of green as his grandfather Jake. Shy has his mother's golden eyes. And Sunny has the same ice-blue eyes as her father. She will be just as tiny as him, as well as having the same sort of rounded build, while Shy is average height and sleek, and Snuggle is as big as his mother (with a bit thicker of fur.)
> 
> I hope you guys like their descriptions. I didn't want any of them to just be identical to Scourge, but I definitely wanted them to resemble him, the toms with the black fur (and white), and Sunny with the tiny build and white paw and eyes. And yes, that flame-colored coat from Sunny is nearly identical to her grandfather Jake and half-uncle Firestar. I wanted at least one of Scourge's kits to resemble his flame-colored kin.
> 
> I'll try to post again soon. I also drew Sushi and Scourge's kits:
> 
> Sunny: http://jayie-the-hufflepuff.deviantart.com/art/Sunny-of-BloodClan-Sushi-s-Society-608861409  
> Shy: http://jayie-the-hufflepuff.deviantart.com/art/Shy-of-BloodClan-Sushi-s-Society-608860662  
> Snuggle: http://jayie-the-hufflepuff.deviantart.com/art/Snuggle-of-BloodClan-Sushi-s-Society-608859714


	5. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle with the forest Clans has come.

Warriors Series 5.5: Echoes of the War  
Novella 1: Sushi's Society  
Chapter Four

      _"Re-ee-owr!"_

     Screech tore away from the big white tom, snarling viciously. The tom was crouching, fangs bared and dripping with her blood. His night-black paws were stained with blood and fur. She backed away a step, snarling, before turning and fleeing from the ShadowClan deputy.

     All around the hollow, battle was raging. The cats of BloodClan were locked in battle with the cats of the forest Clans. And BloodClan was winning.

     The night Screech's kits were born, a forest cat named Tigerstar had come to Twolegplace. Tigerstar had told Scourge that he needed BloodClan's help to defeat his enemies in the forest, and he would give BloodClan a share of the forest in exchange for their help. Scourge had accepted, and had brought most of the Clan to the forest for the fight. But there had been no battle that day. Screech had stayed behind to look after the kits, so she didn't know exactly what had happened. All she knew was that Tigerstar was dead, and in three days time, BloodClan was going to take the forest for their own.

     Scourge had wanted every cat at the battle, so Screech had come along. She had managed to convince him to let her family stay behind to guard the kits. She would do whatever Scourge ordered, but she didn't want her family to become killers for him, and none of them would have lasted long in the battle. When they had arrived, Scourge had offered to let the forest Clans leave peacefully, but the ginger forest tom had refused. That's when battle had broken out.

     Screech looked around the hollow, panting. She had fought and killed before, but she had never fought in a battle of this scale. Everywhere she looked, cats were screeching and whirling, blood and fur in the air. Some cats were lying ominously still in the grass while others wailed in agony. She could see a few forest cats lying dead or dying, and one of the other guards, Hemlock, was lying twisted on the forest floor with blood spilling from a gash in his throat. She didn't have to look closer to know that he was dead. For the first time in seasons, Screech felt real fear for her life. Terrorizing the cats of Twolegplace for five seasons could never have prepared her for a life-and-death battle like this.

     A furious yowl distracted Screech. She turned, noticing a fluffy white tom hurtling himself at Scourge. “You killed Firestar!” The warrior attacked Scourge with a furious energy, but the tiny tom slipped easily to the side, bringing down his vicious claws on the white tom's shoulder. Screech looked away, not wanting to witness the white tom's death; she knew any attack against Scourge was suicide.

     When she looked away, she noticed a lump of ginger fur stretched out on the grass. A tom was lying motionless, his flame-colored fur torn and bloody as his green eyes stared sightlessly at the sky. For a moment, he looked so similar to Sunny that Screech's breath caught in fear. But the moment passed, and she recognized him as ginger forest leader who had talked to Scourge before the battle. She took a moment to close her eyes, her legs trembling beneath her. So much death, and all because of Scourge.

     The moment passed, and Screech threw herself back into the battle. She was biting down on the leg of a dusky brown she-cat when a nearby yowl drew her attention. “Scourge! Turn and face me!” Screech looked up, only to freeze in shock, even when the brown she-cat bit down hard on her foreleg.

     The ginger leader was alive, bristling with a fury and energy that made Screech stiffen in fear. Scourge had turned around, facing the ginger tom in shock. “How... I _killed_ you.”

     “You did,” the ginger tom spat, green eyes blazing with rage. “But I am a leader with nine lives who fights alongside StarClan. Can you say as much?”

     Screech was stunned. _Nine lives?_ She had thought that was just an old rogue's tale. Even Scourge looked unnerved, fear flickering in his cold gaze for the first time Screech could remember. But the fear passed, and as Scourge turned back to the white tom, the ginger leader leaped at Scourge with claws outstretched.

     With a snarl, Screech swatted the small brown she-cat away, ready to leap in and defend her leader. But before she could, a black tom slammed into her, sending her tumbling across the clearing. She landed hard on one shoulder, looking up to see amber eyes glaring hatred down at her. Screech snarled, kicking out hard at the tom's belly. He was unbalanced enough for her to wriggle free and turn on him, snarling.

     The two cats tumbled together, locking in a screeching whirl of claws and fangs. Screech managed to get a grip on his pelt. She bit down hard, rage taking over as the tom screamed. Without warning, he went limp in her jaws. Screech let him drop to the forest floor, staring at him in shock. The tom was stretched out on the grass, his amber eyes glassy and his throat caked in blood. He was dead.

     Screech gazed at the body, panting heavily. She hadn't meant to kill him. But mistake or not, she had gone into this battle to fight for BloodClan like Scourge had ordered, and she had known that this might happen. Her gut twisted with guilt, but she was able to push it back now, after seasons of practice, so she could carry out her orders.

     As Screech looked over the tom's body, she noticed one of his front paws was twisted. She blinked – had she done that? But after a moment she realized it was an old wound. Screech felt a flicker of surprise; the tom had fought well for a crippled cat.

     After staring at the black tom's body for a moment, Screech turned away, only freeze in shock at the sight that greeted her. The ginger leader was standing over a small black body, jaws dripping with blood. As Screech stared, the sounds of the battle seemed to fade, leaving a deathly silence. All Screech could focus on was the tiny black body in the grass.

     Her paws were frozen to the ground, but she didn't have to go closer to recognize the body of Scourge. His features were still frozen in a last snarl of hatred, his icy gaze glassy. Screech stared at his body, every hair on her pelt bristling in shock. As she stared into those dull, icy eyes, which had always held such icy hatred, the truth finally hit her. Scourge was dead.

     A burst of relief came over her, making her legs weak. _I'm finally free._

     Screech finally started to come out of her haze, blinking slowly as the sounds of battle began to filter back through. As she looked away from the body, a new thought occurred to her. _My kits,_ she realized, fear making her bristle. _They're in danger!_

     She didn't waste a moment. Screech whirled away, taking off through the fighting cats. She left the battle and the hollow far behind her as she hurtled towards Twolegplace as fast as her paws could carry her. The screeches and wails of the fighting cats faded away as she pelted through the forest, tearing up grass with her claws as she ran. As she passed beyond Clan territory and reached the edges of Twolegplace, her heart pounded against her chest, her thoughts tripping over themselves in fear. _What if I'm too late?_ She had to reach her kits before the other BloodClan cats fled from the battle. If they reached Twolegplace first and told the others that Scourge was dead before she could, they were doomed.

     Finally, she was in Twolegplace again. Though her mind screamed at her to hurry, she knew she had to be careful. Screech kept low, scurrying between the alley and roads when she was sure no one was looking. Twolegplace was eerily empty of cats that day; almost every cat in BloodClan, whether trained guard or regular member, had been brought into the forest for the battle. Still, Screech was cautious, keeping out a wary eye for Scourge's guards until she finally reached the den.

     The abandoned building that held her family looked deserted from the outside. The only cat in sight was Gash, one of the oldest guards. The skinny gray tom was hunched in front of the entrance, his tail lashing. Screech stayed out of sight and watched the old tom. Though she was itching to get in to see her family, she didn't want to be seen.

     Gash seemed irritated, grumbling too low for Screech to hear, and lashing his tail. She remembered that he had been annoyed when Scourge ordered him to stay behind and look after Screech's family. Holding her breath, she watched as he rose unsteadily to his paws, padding away from the entrance on stiff joints. He was muttering something Screech couldn't hear, though she thought she heard something about catching a rat, no matter what Scourge thought. She waited until he was far enough from the entrance, then tore away from her hiding place, streaking across the pavement as silently as she could manage, until she was inside the den.

     “You're back!” Screech was instantly swarmed by three balls of fluff, their bright eyes gleaming with excitement as they bounded around her paws. Sunny, Snuggle, and Shy rubbed against her legs as the rest of Screech's family approached more slowly. Screech knew there wasn't time, but she couldn't help but take a moment to crouch and curl her tail around her kits, relieved they were okay.

     “Screech, you're shaking,” Catflap mewed in alarm. Screech looked up her at her father, seeing the concern in his eyes, and how Bellchime stiffened beside him at her mate's words. “What's wrong?”

     Wrapper added, “Is the battle over already? Where are the other guards?” Scraps stood beside Wrapper, looking at their sister in surprise.

     Screech rose to her paws, gently shaking off the kits. “Listen, there isn't a lot of time to explain,” she began in a low voice. Even as she spoke, she kept a wary ear out, ready at any moment for Gash to come back and realize she was there. “We're not safe here. We're leaving Twolegplace, right now.”

     Her words got pretty much the reaction she had been expecting. The four cats in front of her were bristling in shock, throwing questions at her from all directions, until she had to flatten her ears against her head to drown them out.

     “What are you talking about?”  
     “Leaving? Why would we leave?”  
     “It's not safe!”  
     “What if they catch us?”  
     “We'll be killed!”

     Screech flattened her ears, painfully aware of how little time they had before the rest of BloodClan arrived. “Be quiet!” she hissed, earning immediate, surprised silence from her family. She drew herself up to her full height, letting her size and raised hackles command silence. There wasn't time to be nice about this. “Listen to me. There's no time to explain. We have to go, and we have to go now, before it's too late. Just keep close to me, do as I say, and don't make a sound.”

     Catflap blinked, looking shocked, while Scraps and Wrapper shared a stunned glance. Only Bellchime appeared calm, though Screech could see the fearful bristling of her pelt. The small silver tabby took a step forward, pressing her muzzle against her daughter's cheek. “We trust you, Screech,” Bellchime murmured to her daughter. Screech longed to take comfort in her mother's soft embrace, but she knew there wasn't time. “We'll do what you say.”

     “Thank you,” Screech murmured.

     While the adult cats got ready to leave, the kits looked up at Screech with wide eyes. “Are we really leave Twolegplace?” Sunny asked curiously. The ginger she-cat seemed hardly bigger than a mouse as she stared up at her mother, her ice-blue eyes staring at her from a face of kitten-soft fluff. But the confident gleam in her eyes contrasted with her tiny appearance.

     Screech spared a moment to draw her tongue over Sunny's back, giving a strangled purr. “Yes, little one.” She swept her gaze across the three of her kits, urgency in her mew. “Listen to me. This is very serious. I need you to be really, really quiet. Not a peep until we reach the trees – if you make a sound, we'll be caught, and we'll be in big trouble. Understood?”

     Three pairs of eyes blinked up at her, wide and innocent. Shy looked scared, his golden eyes wide as he shuffled close to Screech's leg. Snuggle looked at his mother in concern, before approaching his brother and pressing his head against Shy's cheek, giving a comforting purr. But Sunny kept staring at her mother. There wasn't fear in her eyes, only a bright curiosity, a gleam of excitement. The she-cat had her father's courage, that was for sure. Screech only hoped she didn't have his cruelty.

     Assured of the kits' silence, Screech turned once more to her family. She turned first to Catflap, murmuring, “Keep Bellchime close to you.” After he nodded, she glanced next at Scraps and Wrapper. “Keep the kits quiet.” They nodded quietly.

     Screech turned away, slinking to the den's entrance. Cautiously, she peered out of the entrance, poking her muzzle out enough to let her see. To her relief, Gash wasn't back yet. Screech flicked her tail in command and heard her family move in behind her. When she was sure no one was watching, she bounded out of the den and across the street, followed quickly by her family.

     The silence was deafening as Screech led her family through the streets of Twolegplace. Any moment, she expected the cats of BloodClan to come flooding into the streets and take her kits away from her. But all was quiet. It couldn't be long until they returned, though, and Screech knew they had to leave before they arrived.

     They had almost reached the main entrance when the sound of wailing alerted Screech. She gave a sharp hiss of warning, ducking into an alley as her family followed. Catflap led Bellchime into the alley, while Scraps shoved the slow-moving Wrapper in ahead of him, the kits hurrying in after their mother. When she was sure her kin was well-hidden, Screech peered warily around the corner.

     Her blood froze when she saw the mass of cats spilling into the streets, wailing and crying their fear. Their pelts were covered in the marks of battle, and their eyes were wide with terror. Screech could hardly believe this was the confident fighting force that Scourge had led into battle just that morning.

     She stiffened as some of the cats passed right by the alley they hid inside, but the defeated cats were too worked-up to notice her and her family. Every cat held their breath as the BloodClan cats passed them, and Screech didn't let herself relax until they had passed entirely. She stared after them, waiting until they had disappeared from sight, before emerging from the alley. “Come on,” she murmured to her family. As they started off, she pushed them to a run, faster and faster, as fast as her sister's limp and her father's stiff joints would allow.

     The sense of fear that had hit her since Scourge's death didn't fade until they passed out of Twolegplace entirely. They retreated far into the forest, Screech pushing her family until they couldn't go any farther. They collapsed on the grass, panting, while Screech looked around warily. Once she was sure no one had followed them, she finally let herself relax, more than she had in moons. She'd done it. They were safe.

     The kits were leaning against her legs at first as they caught their breath, but once they recovered, they began to notice the forest. Sunny trotted immediately towards the trees, eyes bright and tail held high with curiosity, with Snuggle following cautiously after. Shy stayed by his mother's legs, peering silently towards the trees. “Stay close,” Screech called after the other kits. As her kits mewed their agreement, the adult cats seemed to have finally recovered.

     “What in the world was that about?” Wrapper finally managed. Catflap and Bellchime were leaning against each other, still winded, while Scraps was padding after Sunny and Snuggle, looking warily back at Screech and Wrapper. The dark tabby she-cat had got her breath back, and had limped over towards Screech, looking at her sister with wide eyes. “Why did we run? What's going on?”

     Before Screech could answer, Catflap looked up at his daughter, concern in his gaze. “Did something happen at the battle, Screech?” he asked quietly.

     Screech looked at her family, feeling a pang of sympathy. She had showed up wild-eyed, barking orders at them to run from the only home they'd ever known, and she hadn't given them any explanation. But she knew it was all worth it, with the news she could finally give them. Screech nudged Shy with her muzzle, mewing, “Go play with your littermates, little one.” He looked at her for a moment, his golden gaze unreadable, before padding off after Snuggle and Sunny. Once she was sure he was out of hearing range, she turned back to her family. She told them in a low voice, “Scourge is dead.”

     Four faces stared back at her in shock. Bellchime and Catflap had stiffened, Scraps looking almost confused, while Wrapper's eyes shined with a sudden joy. “He's dead?” she repeated, as if she couldn't believe it.

     “How?” Scraps asked, looking stunned. “I didn't think anything could kill him.”

     Screech's mind flashed back to the battlefield, and the tiny tom's body stretched out on the grass. “It was the ginger forest leader,” she murmured. “Scourge had killed him... but he came back, somehow. He killed Scourge.”

     “He came back to _life?_ ” Scraps repeated, gaping at his sister.

     Wrapper shook her head. “That's not possible,” she mewed firmly. “You must have imagined it. Maybe the ginger cat was just badly hurt – he couldn't have been dead.”

     Screech flattened her ears. “I know what I saw,” she growled. _And I know what I heard,_ she added silently, remembering the tom's words. _“I am a leader with nine lives who fights alongside StarClan.”_ But she knew her family wouldn't be convinced, so she left it alone. “Either way, he killed Scourge. I saw his body, and Bone's. They're both dead.”

     Slowly, the truth seemed to dawn on her family. Bellchime slumped against Catflap, relief gleaming in her blind eyes, while Catflap groomed between her ears with a deep purr. Scraps still looked stunned, but Wrapper looked happier than Screech could remember seeing her in a long time. “So it's finally over,” she murmured, sounding like she could hardly believe it. She looked up at Screech, suddenly looking confused. “Wait. If he's dead, why did we leave Twolegplace?”

     “It was finally safe to leave, now that he won't come after us,” she explained.

     “Sure, but Scourge was the whole reason that Twolegplace was dangerous in the first place,” Wrapper reasoned. “With him dead, why didn't we just stay and take our home back?”

     Catflap added, “Your kits are Scourge's heirs. With him gone, you can claim leadership in their place until they're old enough. Maybe we could finally bring some peace to the cats of Twolegplace.”

     Screech flattened her ears against her head impatiently. “Yes, my kits are Scourge's heirs,” she said. “That's the whole reason we left. It's not safe for them there.”

     “But they could lead BloodClan now,” Wrapper argued, starting to sound angry. “We could make Twolegplace better!”

     “Don't be fluff-brained,” Screech hissed. “My kits are next in line to rule BloodClan. Three kits who are barely two moons old are the only thing standing between any greedy cat and the leadership of BloodClan.” That made Wrapper pause. Screech took a step towards her sister, growling, “How long do you think it would take one of the other guards to kill my kits to take the leadership of BloodClan?”

     Wrapper looked away, hackles bristling uncomfortably. “We could protect them,” she protested.

     From where she sat beside Catflap, Bellchime shook her head. “It's too risky,” she murmured softly. “We can't watch the kits every moment. They're too young, it's too much of a risk.”

     “She's right, Wrapper,” Scraps mewed. He had finally shepherded the kits back to the others. From the curious expressions they wore, Screech didn't think they'd heard about their father's death. She wondered how she would explain that to them – Scourge hadn't exactly been the most loving father, but they seemed fond of him. “We have to take the kits somewhere safe.

     “Where is safe?” Catflap asked, gaze dark. “If we go back to Twolegplace, BloodClan will try to hurt them. But here in the forest, the Clans probably aren't much better.”

     Screech took a moment to think. She knew that they weren't safe in the forest. The Clans would probably see any BloodClan cats as a threat and try to chase them away. Besides that, she knew they wouldn't be able to support themselves. Catflap's joints were far too stiff to let him hunt well anymore, Bellchime and Wrapper couldn't hunt, and while Scraps could hunt, he wasn't very efficient. Screech knew that the two of them would never be able to support three adult cats and three hungry kits on their own. It was the same problem she had faced four leafbares ago in Twolegplace, but now there was nothing to fall back on.

     Suddenly, an idea occurred to her. “When Scourge sent some guards to survey the land Tigerstar promised us, they said there was a barn or something on the moorland,” she mewed slowly. “I remember Tooth said there was a lot of preyscent coming from there, and the cat-scent was faint.”

     The cats around Screech started nodding slowly. “I knew a barn cat once,” Bellchime murmured. “She said that there used to be mice everywhere she turned. That would be a perfect place to raise the kits.”

     Screech looked around at her family, seeing them relax with a plan in place. For a moment, she felt a wave of fear come over her. Scourge was gone, and she was finally free from Twolegplace. But the horrible deeds she had committed there would follow her forever. Victim after victim in the streets of BloodClan, and the black tom in the forest. Even now that they had escaped BloodClan, would Screech ever be able to escape who she'd been and what she'd done?

     After a moment, she shook her head fiercely. She couldn't dwell on those thoughts, not now. Her family needed her. Screech lifted her chin, pushing her fears aside as she growled, “Good. Then let's get going.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, sorry this took two weeks to finish, but it's an extra-long one, so I hope that makes up for it. ^^ Particularly since the last few chapters have been kinda short. This one nearly makes it to four thousand words. :P
> 
> Sorry for my lack of updates the last two weeks. During those weeks, I've been working on a remote internship with a company overseas. It was amazing and a great experience. :D It also kept me rather busy, which is why I haven't uploaded much in two weeks. But now my internship is over, and updating can resume as normal - as normal as it ever is, anyway.
> 
> Anywhoo, Scourge and Bone are dead, and now Screech has escaped with her kits into the forest. And they're on their way to a barn on the moorland... hmm, I wonder what barn that could possibly be? ^^
> 
> And yes, for those wondering, the black tom that Screech killed was Deadfoot. I'm not sure why, but I really like the idea that Screech was the cat that killed Deadfoot. It gives her a greater culpability in the suffering of the Clans, I guess, it shows that she really will kill for BloodClan even though she knows it isn't right, and it's nice to know who killed Deadfoot. :P And yes, I know he showed up still alive in the Ravenpaw graphic novels that take place after the BloodClan battle. But Firestar's Quest takes place before the Ravenpaw graphic novels, and Deadfoot was already dead by then, so I'm going to say FQ is more accurate and that Deadfoot died in the BloodClan battle, which has always been my headcanon anyway.
> 
> Of course, the deputy she fought at the start was Blackfoot, and the small dusky brown she-cat was Mousefur. And the fluffy white tom was Cloudtail, of course - I was surprised upon rereading TDH to see that he was fighting Scourge after Firestar died, and it made me kind of happy to realize that he must have attacked Scourge to avenge Firestar when he saw Firestar was dead, even though he must have known how deadly Scourge could be - that he loved Firestar that much.


	6. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The family arrives at the barn

Warriors Series 5.5: Echoes of the War  
Novella 1: Sushi's Society  
Chapter Five

     Every cat seemed on edge as they traveled through the forest. Screech was at the lead, focusing on the path ahead of her as she tried to find her way to the moorland. Her whole pelt seemed to ache, some of her wounds still bleeding as she walked. Behind her, Catflap was helping his blind mate make her way through the unfamiliar forest. Screech could hear him murmuring to Bellchime, telling her about the undergrowth under their paws, the way the golden light spilled through the branches overhead, how different it was from anything they knew in Twolegplace. Scraps was walking behind the kits, keeping an eye on them, while Wrapper stayed ahead of them.

     The euphoria of escaping Twolegplace seemed to have faded, now that the seriousness of the situation had set in. They had escaped the bloody, violent streets of BloodClan, but at least there they'd been guaranteed food and protection. Now they had to fend for themselves. Screech could only hope the barn on the moor would offer the sanctuary her family needed. She couldn't bear to think of the alternative.

     Only the kits seemed unfazed by the solemn mood. Sunny and Snuggle had made a game out of batting around the leaves that littered the forest floor, rushing into piles of fallen leaves and sending them skittering everywhere. Shy didn't join them. Instead, he stuck by Wrapper's paws, watching the birds flitting through the trees overhead, eyes wide with wonder. Wrapper was murmuring something to him that Screech couldn't hear. Screech felt a pang of guilt; she still didn't know how she was going to tell them that their father was dead.

     Their trek through the woods was slow going. None of Screech's family was used to traveling in the forest, and Wrapper's limp and Catflap's stiff joints set the pace for every cat. But even with the slow pace, they managed to reach the edge of the forest by sunhigh. Screech's limited knowledge of the territory was able to lead them to the moorland, where the going was easier. The undergrowth wasn't as thick on the moor, making it easier for them to walk.

     Even so, they were all exhausted by the time they finally reached the barn. Relief washed over Screech, but it was quickly replaced by wariness. As they neared the building she could smell the catscent that Tooth had mentioned, and the scent was fresh. She wasn't sure what kind of welcome they could expect.

     As they approached the fence outside of the barn, Screech brought her family to a halt. “We need to make sure this place is safe before we bring the kits inside,” she told them in a low voice. Murmurs of agreement came from the others. “Bellchime, Scraps, Wrapper, I need you to stay with the kits. Catflap, come with me. We'll check everything out to make sure it's safe.”

     Catflap dipped his head, murmuring, “Sounds like a plan.” Screech watched warily as Catflap exchanged a brief goodbye with his mate and kits. She knew that Catflap would slow her down, and she worried about his chances if it did come to a fight with the barn cats. But even with his stiff joints Catflap was a powerfully-built cat, and she didn't want to bring Scraps instead because she wanted one able-bodied cat left with her kits. Catflap would have to do.

     Once they were sure the rest of the family was settled, Screech and Catflap set off, ducking under the fence and setting off towards the main building of the barn. Her mouth began to water as the preyscent grew stronger. But Catflap managed to keep a cooler head. “There's dogscent here, pretty fresh,” he grunted. “We'll have to keep an eye out for them if they live here.”

     Screech sniffed the air, recoiling at the fresh stench of dog. “You're right. And there's all kinds of animals here we've never seen in Twolegplace. We'll need to figure out whether they'll be a threat to us and the kits before we settle here.”

     They finally reached the barn. The large doors were open enough for Screech and Catflap to squeeze through. Once they were inside, Screech looked around, curious. The building was bigger and dustier on the inside than anything she knew in Twolegplace. Great bales of hay are stacked beside the walls, and twoleg tools that Screech had no name for were scattered around. She could scent mice everywhere, and she thought she saw signs of them scurrying around in the hay.

     Catflap was looking around as well, eyes wide with wonder. “This place looks perfect,” he mewed. “There's prey everywhere, and enough space for all of us.”

     Screech was about to agree. Then, a furious yowl cut her off. Out of nowhere, a weight slammed into her side, sending her and her attacker tumbling across the barn floor. A yowl from Catflap let Screech know he was under attack as well.

     With a snarl, Screech threw her attacker off, scrambling to her paws. She was met with the furious glare of a muscular black-and-white tom. “Get out!” the oddly-familiar tom shrieked, his pelt fluffed out and his back arched. His blue eyes blazed with hatred as he glared at the BloodClan cats.

     Screech hesitated. She risked a glance back at her father. To her relief, Catflap was back on his paws, and he looked unharmed. A sleek black tom with a white tail-tip was facing off against him, his hackles raised. It seemed like the tom had realized how old his opponent was; he wasn't trying to attack Catflap, and seemed only to be keeping him apart from the other barn cat and Screech.

     Satisfied her father was unharmed, Screech turned back to the black-and-white tom. “We didn't come here looking for a fight,” she mewed calmly, forcing her pelt to lie smooth. “I'm sorry if we startled you. We came here looking for a play to stay.”

     The sleek black tom looked uncertain, but the black-and-white tom was furious. “There is no shelter here for BloodClan scum!” he spat, tail lashing. Screech was stunned; this wasn't a cat defending his home from strangers. It wasn't rage he was looking at them with, it was hatred, the kind of black hatred that could only be personal. With a shock, she realized both barn cats bore very recent marks of battle. _They must have been at the battle today,_ she realized.

     Suddenly, the tom stiffened. “I know you,” he growled, eyes flashing with suspicion.

     Screech ducked her head. “I was at the battle today...” she began.

     “No. Not there.” The tom's eyes flew open wide as moons, a new hatred gleaming there. “You're Screech!” he snarled. Screech looked up, startled to hear the stranger say her name. “You were Scourge's biggest supporter, after Bone.”

     “How do you know who I am?” she asked, stunned.

     He took a step towards her, bristling from head to toe. “You sat there and watched while my sister was savaged!” he shrieked. Despite herself, Screech took a step back in alarm.

     Behind her, she heard Catflap give a gasp. “Barley?” he asked. She turned to see him taking a step towards the black-and-white cat, recognition glowing in his eyes. “Is that really you? It's me, Catflap. Do you remember me?”

     The black-and-white tom, Barley, hesitated. The hatred seemed to fade from his eyes as he glanced at Catflap, his pelt fluffing out uncertainly. “Catflap?” he repeated, sounding unsure.

     While Barley glanced at Catflap, Screech watched with growing horror. She didn't remember a Barley from growing up. But she had finally realized why Barley looked so familiar – except for his smaller size, he was the very image of Snake and Ice, two of Scourge's crueler guards.

     Her mind went back to a night seasons ago, when Scourge had dragged two young cats to his alley for punishment. A ginger tabby she-cat was pinned down by Snake and Ice – Screech remembered hearing something about her being their sister. A young black-and-white tom, who she now realized was Barley, had been pleading with Scourge not to hurt her. But Scourge had ordered Snake and Ice to kill her.

     She had been there, sitting beside Scourge, careful to appear unmoved as Snake and Ice mauled the young she-cat. It had been an appalling display of violence and rage. And yet, Screech had done nothing, just as she had always done. After that, Barley had disappeared. Screech hadn't wasted much time wondering where he was, other than to assume he'd died. Now she realized that she had been wrong. Her legs began to tremble, and she felt sick with guilt. No wonder Barley was looking at her with such hatred.

     Trembling, she shook her head to chase away the memories. “We didn't know you were here,” she murmured, lowering herself into a submissive crouch. Barley's gaze snapped back to her, hatred blazing in his eyes. “I'm sorry for what I did before. But what I did, my family had nothing to do with it, and they need shelter.”

     Barley snarled, but the sleek black tom turned towards Screech, looking concerned. She could see the flash of white on his chest now, and the concern in his amber eyes. “Your family?” he repeated, sounding curious.

     “Ravenpaw...” Barley growled in warning.

     “Barley, I know what BloodClan did to you,” the tom, Ravenpaw, mewed carefully. “But that she-cat is carrying kitscent. She must have kits nearby; we can't just leave them out in the cold.”

     The black-and-white cat stiffened, horror in his gaze. “Your kits...” His gaze narrowed suddenly, venom in his voice as he spat, “Are they Scourge's?”

     Ravenpaw's eyes widened. “Scourge had kits?” he asked, sounding stunned.

     “She was always close to Scourge,” Barley snarled. “There were rumors he had his eye on her.” Screech stiffened in surprise; she hadn't been aware of any rumors, or that Scourge had been interested in her that many seasons ago.

     Screech dipped her head, trying to appear nonthreatening. “Yes, Scourge is the father of my kits,” she murmured. Barley's furious hiss cut her off, but she forced herself to continue. “I had my family to provide for; they could barely hunt for themselves. I did everything Scourge ever asked of me for the sake of my family. But my parents and my littermates had nothing to do with any of that. They're innocent of any of Scourge's crimes – and my kits are too young.” She lifted her head, just enough to meet Barley's furious gaze. “Please. Do whatever you want with me. But my family will die without shelter.”

     Barley was still glaring hatred at Screech, but he seemed more unsure now. For a moment, his gaze slipped to Catflap. He grunted, “I remember you. You and Bellchime were always friends to my family.”

     Catflap dipped his head, mewing modestly, “After your father died, your mother needed all the help she could get, raising four kits on her own. The least we could do was help.” With a start, Screech realized that Barley's family must have been some of the cats her family had helped feed with her contributions. Catflap's gaze grew sad for a moment. “It's just a shame everything went so wrong for you and your sister.”

     For a moment, the barn cat hesitated. “How is my mother?” he asked.

     Catflap sighed. “I'm sorry, Barley. Lark died a few seasons ago.” The black-and-white tom stiffened, grief flashing in his gaze. Catflap rushed to assure him, “But she went peacefully. And she had another litter, about a year before you left.”

     Barley's head shot up, his eyes wide in shock. “I have more siblings?” he mewed, sounding almost happy.

     “Yes. Tire and Box,” Catflap told him. “They're good cats.”

     For a moment, joy shone in Barley's eyes. Then he gave his head a fierce shake. “I left that part of my life behind me,” he mewed firmly. Then he relaxed, a little. “But I haven't forgotten how you helped my mother. You and Bellchime are welcome here, Catflap, and so are your other kits – I know Wrapper and Scraps are no fans of Scourge.” His gaze hardened again as it came to rest on Screech. “But I don't want any mate or kits of Scourge anywhere near my barn.”

     Screech began to feel panicked. “Hate me all you want, but my kits are innocent!” she insisted. “You can't punish them for who their kin is.”

     Barley bared his fangs at Screech, but before he could reply, Ravenpaw stepped between Barley and Screech, lashing his tail. “Enough,” he mewed firmly. Barley narrowed his eyes at the black tom, but Ravenpaw just met his gaze evenly. “I know what Scourge did to you. But you can't blame his kits for who their father was.” Barley hesitated. “I know how easy it is to hate anything to do with cats like Scourge, but Bramblepaw and Tawnypaw proved themselves in that battle today. If they can be loyal warriors, considering who their father is, then Scourge's kits are innocent too.” The black tom glanced back at Screech. “And they need their mother.”

     The black-and-white tom cast one last, uncertain glance at Screech, before turning away with a sigh. “You're right,” he murmured. “I guess I should know better than any cat that blood isn't everything.” He cast a suspicious glare at Screech. “But I still don't trust you. You and your family can stay here until your kits can hunt for themselves. Then, I want you gone. And I'll be keeping an eye on you.”

     Screech released the breath she had been holding. She could hardly dare to believe it. They had started by being attacked by a cat who clearly hated BloodClan to his bones, and now they were being allowed to stay until her kits were old enough to hunt. It was more than she could have hoped for.

     “Thank you, Barley,” she murmured, keeping her head lowered respectfully. “I know I can't make up for what I did, but I promise I won't betray you now.”

     Barley just snorted in response. He turned away, leaping atop one of the hay bales and disappearing from view.

**SCENEBREAK**

     With Ravenpaw's help, they were able to bring Screech's family inside. When they returned, they found nests already laid out for every cat. Screech knew that Barley must have made them, but there was no sight of the black-and-white tom anywhere.

     Once she had helped her family settle into their new nests, Screech set off to hunt. Together, she, Scraps, and Ravenpaw were able to gather enough mice to feed the whole family.

     After they ate, the cats rested in their nests, content. None of them had been this well-fed in moons. Sunny, Snuggle, and Shy were batting a few pieces of hay around, while Wrapper watched nearby. Scraps was sniffing curiously at some of the twoleg tools, and Catflap and Bellchime were sharing tongues. Screech glanced back to make sure her kits were happy, then rose from her nest. She padded towards the barn doors, settling down beside Ravenpaw. The black tom was sitting by the door, staring out into the night. While she couldn't see him, Screech knew that Barley was somewhere in the rafters, watching the family from above.

     “I can't tell you how grateful I am that you're letting us stay,” Screech murmured to Ravenpaw.

     The black tom glanced sideways at Screech. She could see the suspicion in his gaze, though it was much less than Barley's. “Neither of us would ever turn away helpless kits,” he mewed. “As for the rest of it... I can't speak for what Barley went through in BloodClan. But I know it was awful, and if you were a part of it, I can't blame him for not wanting you here.”

     She sighed, ears drooping. “I know,” she murmured. “I can't excuse what I did. I was Scourge's guard for four leafbares – I killed and hurt innocent cats because he told me to, and I cared more about providing for my family than about what it would mean for the rest of BloodClan.” Her mind flashed back, going over a lifetime of violence. “How do I even begin to make up for it?”

     Ravenpaw shrugged. “I don't know what to tell you,” he said honestly. “It's a lot to make up for. I guess, just... do your best for your family for now, and try and find a better way to live.”

     Screech gave a humorless huff of laughter. “I've never known a better way,” she mewed. “All I know is BloodClan.”

     “The whole world isn't like BloodClan,” Ravenpaw mewed firmly. “I can tell you about the way we live here, the way some of the other rogues live. And I can tell you about the forest Clans.”

     Curious, Screech turned her gaze briefly to Ravenpaw. Questions about the ginger leader's death and resurrection came to mind, but she kept silent. It was too early to ask Ravenpaw to trust her with those answers. So, for now, she turned away, looking outside once more.

     “You're right,” she murmured. “I don't know if and how I can make up for what I've done wrong. But I need to be here for my family now. And maybe together, we can find peace.” She rose to her paws, turning and approaching her family again. She raised her voice as she said, “And I can't be Screech to do that. Screech was Scourge's guard – a murderer. You deserve better from me.” She lifted her head, mewing clearly, “So I'd like to be Sushi again, if I can.”

     The she-cat's family stared at her for a moment, blinking in surprise. She wasn't sure if she deserved what she was asking. Sushi had been an innocent kit – she was guilty of all of Screech's crimes. She didn't know if she deserved to have her true name back. But she knew that if she was to move on and try and find peace, she couldn't carry Scourge's name for her anymore.

     It was Wrapper who spoke first. “Welcome back, Sushi,” she mewed warmly. The dark tabby rose shakily from her nest, limping over to her sister and rubbing her muzzle against her cheek. Sushi blinked, a purr escaping her. The rest of Sushi's family soon joined in, mewing her true name, and coming over to greet her. Sushi's kits joined them as well, though they didn't seem to fully understand what was happening.

     Sushi felt a rush of warmth as her family surrounded her, purring on all sides. For the first time in seasons, she actually felt like herself, not the monster she had become for Scourge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, I managed to get a chapter done in a quick-ish manner this time. :P
> 
> So, as some people predicted, Sushi took her true name back. And she and her family were met with plenty of suspicion by Barley and Ravenpaw, big surprise. And yeah, I decided to give Barley some more siblings. :P The name of his mother, Lark, comes from a really old fanfic of mine, Fireheart's Betrayal. The name of his father is Dagger, also from Fireheart's Betrayal, mostly because I think the name sounds awesome.
> 
> I gave the kits new names/descriptions, mostly because I wasn't thinking about making new siblings for Barley when I made the allegiances for this novella. :P Ah well. Maybe I'll find some place for Adder and Lavender elsewhere. The father of Lark's second litter is Gouge, I think.


	7. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seasons later...

Warriors Series 5.5: Echoes of the War  
Novella 1: Sushi's Society  
Chapter Six

     “Nice catch, Sunny!”

     The tiny tabby looked up, a squirrel lying at her paws among the multicolored leaves. “Thanks!” she purred.

     Sushi watched her daughter pick up her catch, purring. Almost two leaf-falls had passed since the battle with the forest Clans. Sushi's kits had grown into fine young cats, as well as skilled hunters. Even towards the end of leaf-fall, with leafbare closing in fast, they managed to find enough for every cat to eat.

     Sunny towards her mother, her squirrel hanging from her jaws. The she-cat was just as small as her father had been, with the same rounded head and thick, soft pelt. But her bright ginger pelt was free of scars, and no tooth-spiked collar hung around her neck. Sushi felt a rush of pride; she had raised her kits to be peaceful rogues, not the vicious killers their father would have made them.

     “I sent Snuggle and Shy to check for prey by the twisted stump,” Sunny informed her mother once she reached her again. She set the squirrel by Sushi's paws, giving her chest fur a few quick licks.

     Sushi fought back an amused purr; there was no question that Sunny was the leader of her litter, and at times she could be rather bossy. But her loyalty to her brothers was unquestionable, and her cleverness often kept them with full bellies at night. “Lead the way,” Sushi mewed.

     Together, the daughter and mother set off through the forest. It had been a little over one leaf-fall since they had left Barley's barn. Barley and Ravenpaw had sheltered Sushi's family for eight moons, until the kits were old enough to hunt for the whole family, as they had promised. Sushi knew that Barley hadn't trusted her at all, but he had been decent to her family, and Ravenpaw had been great with the kits.

     They had promised not to tell any cat that they had been sheltering the BloodClan cats, including cats from the forest Clans. Ravenpaw had told Sushi all about the Clans' code of honor, and she believed him when he said they were good cats. But she didn't trust that they wouldn't try to take out their fury against BloodClan on the kits of Scourge.

     After they left the barn, Sushi and her family had made their home in the forest, just outside of ThunderClan territory. Sushi was always careful to keep herself and her kits out of the sight of warriors. She still wore her collar of teeth and claws, and while none of her kits were identical enough to Scourge to recognized as his kits on sight, she knew Sunny looked enough like him to raise suspicion. They had found an old badger den that served as a cozy den, and they hunted in the surrounding forest. Sushi was still haunted by memories of her past, and she never felt entirely comfortable in the forest, but for now her family was safe and happy.

     Once they had picked up the rest of their catch, Sushi and Sunny returned to the den. They came upon a familiar scene when they reached the den. Scraps was sitting outside, sorting leaves with one paw. Ever since Ravenpaw had told him about medicine cats and their healing herbs, Scraps had been fascinated. These days he spent most of his time collecting and studying herbs, repeating what Ravenpaw had told him and storing any herbs he deemed important in the den, in case of emergency. He had already used his new knowledge to heal minor injuries and illnesses among his family.

     Wrapper was inside the den, curled up beside Catflap. The large tom looked frailer than he ever had before. Though he was fed even more than the rest of the family, old age kept him from putting on much weight. Sushi felt a pang of grief as she looked at him, and the empty space beside him. Bellchime had died not long after they had settled in at Barley's barn. She had simply been too old, and when she became sick, it took her life quickly. Barley and Ravenpaw had been very kind about the whole thing, allowing them to bury her at the barn and holding a vigil for her. Catflap was quieter now, even seasons after she was gone, but he still made an effort to be there for his family.

     All three cats looked up as Sushi and Sunny approached. “Nice haul,” Wrapper commented. Sushi carried a pair of mice, while Sunny had her squirrel.

     They dropped their catches in front of the den. “Thanks,” Sunny mewed. She glanced around, her ice-blue gaze sharp with curiosity. “Have you seen Snuggle and Shy yet? I thought they'd be back by now.”

     All three cats shook their heads. “They could just be running late,” Catflap rasped. The elderly tom was lying beside Wrapper, his paws tucked neatly beneath him, and his tail wrapped around him. “Prey will be getting more scarce now that leafbare is almost here, after all. They might have had to go farther from the den to hunt.”

     Sunny shrugged. “Whatever. I'll keep a watch out for them.” She padded a little ways away, settling onto her belly on the crunchy leaves, watching the distant trees for a sign of her brothers.

     They didn't have to wait much longer. Soon after Scraps finished sorting his herbs, two black shapes came padding into sight. Sunny's head shot up. She leaped to her paws, bounding towards her brothers with a joyful yowl. As Sushi watched in amusement, Sunny butted her head against Snuggle's shoulder, meowing something loudly in greeting. It was clear watching them that Snuggle had inherited his mother's height. He towered over his tiny sister as she greeted him, looking down at her with a patient purr. His green eyes shone with warmth, his thick black-and-white pelt covering strong muscle.

     After exchanging a brief greeting with his sister, Shy left his littermates behind to pad towards the den. The sleek black tom was certainly quick to get away from the loud greeting of his littermates, but Sushi knew that he was more comfortable with them, and with his family, than with any other cats.

     He padded up to Sushi, touching muzzles briefly with his mother. “Sorry we took so long,” he mewed quietly. Shy was soft-spoken, when he spoke at all. He generally preferred to listen to others speak, watching with his golden gaze impossible to read, learning more in his silence than if he joined conversations himself. Other rogues usually found him creepy, if they noticed him at all. But Sushi knew he was just quiet by nature – reserved, and gentle, not cold as others thought.

     Sushi purred as she touched her nose to her son's ear. “It's alright,” she mewed. “No harm done.” Shy blinked warmly at his mother, then padded away, joining Scraps by his pile of herbs. While Shy didn't seem to have the natural talent for healing that Scraps did, he often sat beside Scraps and watched him work. He tended to stay quiet, letting Scraps fill the silence by telling him about the herbs and their functions.

     Once Snuggle and Sunny had finished catching up, they began padding towards the den. Snuggle had a single mouse in his jaws, and when Sushi glanced back at Shy, she realized he didn't have any prey. “Is that it?” she asked, sniffing at the mouse in surprise.

     Snuggle dropped his mouse with the rest of the prey, turning back toward his mother with a grave expression. “We were lucky to get this much,” he told her quietly. “Something's happened.”

     Sushi's good mood evaporated. “What is it?” she asked. Snuggle's expression was more serious than she'd seen it before.

     “Twolegs,” Shy answered from his seat beside Scraps. “Their monsters were in the forest today.”

     Snuggle nodded gravely. “They were making enough noise to wake a deaf badger. It scared off most of the prey.”

     Sushi's ears shot forward in shock, and she saw Wrapper stiffen from beside Catflap, eyes sharp with interest. “The monsters were in the _forest?_ ” Sushi repeated, stunned. “But they never leave the street!”

     “These ones did,” Snuggle mewed grimly. “I have no idea what they were doing, but if it happens again, I don't know how much prey we'll be able to find.”

     For a moment, Sushi felt a twinge of fear. Then she gave herself a rough shake. “Let's not get too worried over nothing. Twolegs are mad – every cat knows that. Whatever reason these twolegs and their monsters were in the forest, I doubt it's anything to worry about. We'll just have to keep an eye on it and see what happens.”

     Shy and Snuggle's expressions were doubtful as they regarded Sushi. Privately, she wasn't even sure of her own words. But after a moment, Snuggle just shrugged. “If you say so.” He scooped up the squirrel from the pile of prey, carrying it over to Catflap and dropping it in front of the elderly tom. The large black-and-white tom settled beside Catflap, murmuring in a low voice to him and nudging the squirrel towards him.

     Sushi felt a rush of warmth as she watched her son's kindness to her father. Snuggle had the kindest heart of his littermates, and was often seen comforting Catflap, or encouraging his shy brother. As she watched, Catflap dragged the squirrel closer with one paw, starting to pick at it.

     Sushi purred, blinking warmly at her son. But inside, she was still worried. She didn't know what the strange behavior of the twolegs and their monsters meant for her family, but she had a feeling this wasn't the last she was going to hear about it.

**SCENEBREAK**

     In the following moons, the situation with the twolegs only got worse. Big monsters came into the forest, tearing up the trees with their gnashing metal jaws, leaving the forest scarred. Prey was already scarce now that leafbare had come, but the destruction of the forest drove off what little prey was left. Even in the days before she became a guard of BloodClan, Sushi's family had never eaten so poorly in their lives. Sushi was terrified by how weak Catflap was becoming. Every night, she watched him fall asleep, fearing that he wouldn't wake in the morning.

     As hard as they tried, Sushi and her kits weren't able to catch enough to support the family. Wrapper and Scraps did what they could, but they were so weak from how little they were eating that they never caught anything. There was no question of Catflap trying to hunt anymore; Sushi didn't think he could make it very far from the den without collapsing from exhaustion. Often times, it was only Sunny's clever hunting schemes that kept them from starving. Every day, Sushi's dread grew. She was sure that they were all going to starve before newleaf came.

     One day, she was at the den. It was the end of a day of hunting. She and her kits had split up, and she was the only one who had returned so far. All she had to show for her efforts was one half-frozen shrew. Catflap was gnawing on it, looking like he was barely strong enough to eat, while Wrapper and Scarps looked on glumly.

     Sushi was sitting a little aways from the den, keeping an eye out for her returning kits. She could only hope that they had managed to catch something. Otherwise, the only cat who would eat tonight would be Catflap.

     Suddenly, she stiffened. In the distance came a muffled roar, horrible and grating. As the hair along her back raised ominously, she recognized three shapes racing towards her through the trees. “Run!” Sunny screeched as she and her brothers hurtled towards the den.

     Sushi was on her paws in an instant. “What is it?” she demanded, fear making her pelt bristle. In the den, Scraps and Wrapper were standing protectively in front of Catflap.

     “The monsters...” Snuggle panted. The three cats finally drew near enough for Sushi to see the wild fear in their eyes. “We saw them. They're coming for the den!”

     Fear exploded in Sushi's chest. “Then we have to go, now!”

     Every instinct screamed at Sushi to run, but she had to get her family out. Catflap was agonizingly slow as he struggled onto his paws, stumbling out of the den as if he could barely control his paws. Terrible fear blazed in his eyes, but as Scarps started to push him forward, he shook his head. “Go on without me,” he rasped. “I'm too slow. You'll die if you stay with me.”

     The roaring was getting louder now. Sushi could see the monsters getting closer, trees and earth being torn up in their wake. They were slower than the monsters that moved along the streets of Twolegplace, but they were massive, with huge metal claws. One reached out its jaws, cracking a birch right in half. Sushi nearly jumped as it fell to the ground with a terrible thud. Then, she gave a sharp shake of her head. “We're not leaving any cat!” she snapped. The large she-cat bounded into the den, coming around behind her father and roughly shoving him forward. He stumbled forward, looking surprised, but Sushi didn't have any time to be nice about it. While Scraps helped Wrapper limp away from the den, Snuggle and Shy took over with Catflap, forcing the elderly tom forward as quickly as they could make him go. Sushi stayed behind them, keeping an eye on the monsters as they approached. “Hurry!” she snapped.

     Finally, every cat was clear of the den, just as the monsters reached it. Sushi watched with horror as the great jaws of one monster tore away the earth where their den rested, destroying the first home where she had felt safe in seasons. Branches and leaves were being hurled everywhere, trees falling, leaving their home unrecognizable.

     But the monsters didn't stop there. They kept moving forward, their jaws snapping. Sushi stiffened, terror making every hair on her pelt bristle. “We can't stop. Keep going!” She stayed to the rear of the group, keeping an eye on the monsters, while Sunny raced to the front. As the ginger tabby bounded away through the snow, the rest of the family struggled to follow her.

     Blind terror ruled Sushi as she stumbled through the snow, forcing herself to stay at her family's pace. She couldn't see the monsters anymore through the trees, but she could hear them roaring, and she could see the devastation they were leaving, branches and trees still falling dangerously close. Wrapper was struggling to run with her crippled leg, and Catflap was agonizingly slow. But Snuggle and Shy kept pushing Catflap forward, and Scraps didn't leave his sister's side for an instant.

     Sunny's gasp made Sushi stiffen in fear. “There's more!” the ginger tabby called out. With a rush of horror, Sushi looked over to see more monsters coming in from the side, cutting off their escape. The group whirled around. For a moment, they were frozen, trying to figure out where to flee to.

     Suddenly, Sushi realized where they were in the forest – and more importantly, where they were close to. Her heart clenched in fear, but she knew what had to happen next. “Sunny, take the rear!” she snapped at her daughter. Sushi bounded to the front of the group, growling, “I know where we'll be safe.”

     Without stopping to explain, she took off, staying slow enough for her family to follow. Eventually, the sounds of the monsters faded into the distance, but she didn't stop. Not until they reached the edges of the place that had haunted her nightmares for seasons. They passed out of the forest, fleeing into the narrow streets and looming buildings that would protect them from the monsters.

     As the group finally collapsed, exhausted and panting, on the pavement, Sushi looked around herself in fear. They were back in Twolegplace.

     Sushi could hear her family struggling for breath behind her. Snuggle was beside Catflap, looking worriedly over the elderly tom and murmuring to him. Scraps was going from cat to cat, checking for injuries, while Shy stared blankly ahead, looking exhausted. But Sunny was already up on her paws, looking around curiously.

     “This place looks familiar,” Sunny murmured. “But I can't remember...” She glanced at her mother, gaze suddenly sharp with interest. “This is Twolegplace, isn't it? This is BloodClan territory.”

     Snuggle and Shy looked up sharply, looking stunned. Scraps and Wrapper were looking around warily, their pelts bristling, while Catflap was too exhausted to do anything but look up wearily.

     Sushi flattened her ears, flinching as a monster passed them on the street beside the sidewalk they rested on. “Yes. Yes it is,” she murmured.

     She knew exactly where they were. The family had found themselves just inside of BloodClan's territory, near where some of the younger cats made their dens. Sushi's hackles began to raise as the familiar stench of twolegs and monsters began to set in. Already, horrible memories of her days as a guard of BloodClan were beginning to race through her mind.

     “Why did you bring us here?” Scraps asked, fear in his mew.

     “Because monsters that big would never follow us into narrow streets like this,” Sushi murmured. She glanced back the direction they'd come, feeling a pang of grief. “Our home... they destroyed it all. Who knows how much of our hunting grounds are left?”

     Scraps sighed, hanging his head. “My herbs,” he mewed quietly. “I should've thought to bring some of them – maybe we could use them.”

     Before Sushi could speak, Sunny shook her head, mewing, “It was more important to get everyone out of the den alive.” She flicked her tail-tip against Scraps' shoulder, giving a mew of forced cheer. “Don't worry. We can always gather more herbs later.”

     Snuggle shook out his pelt, gazing around warily. “The first thing we need to do is to get out of Twolegplace,” he murmured. “What if BloodClan finds us here?”

     “Please,” Sunny scoffed. “BloodClan was held together by the fear of our father. With Scourge dead, they would have scattered seasons ago.”

     Sushi gave her daughter a sharp glace. “Don't sound so sure,” she warned Sunny. “Any of one your father's guards may have taken over leadership since he died. We'll have to be careful.” She sighed, glancing wearily towards the street. “But we can't go back to the forest yet either. We don't know how long the monsters will be there, and now that our den is destroyed, we don't have anywhere to go.” She sighed. “We can go back in the forest in the morning. For now, let's try to find somewhere safe to spend the night, and maybe find something to eat.”

     The others weren't happy with her decision, but they didn't argue. It didn't take them long to find a quiet corner in a narrow alley to settle in for the night. A tipped-over garbage can served as a safe, if crowded, den for the family. Sunny and Shy managed to catch a sizeable rat for the family to share. When they finished their meal, Sushi sat back, starting to groom.

     It was strange. Even with the threat of BloodClan hanging over their heads, Sushi somehow felt more comfortable than she had in moons. The forest had been her home for two full leafbares, and it had been a good home. But she knew Twolegplace better than anywhere else. She had been happy here, once. Though she couldn't forget the horrors she had witnessed, there was a certain comfort to being back on the street.

     Her feeling of comfort was short-lived. Sushi was helping Sunny clean up from the meal when something clattered further down the alley. Every cat froze. A shape was moving at the end of the alley, eyes flashing in the dark. Cats scrambled to hide behind the garbage can, but it was too late. Just as Sushi bounded for the garbage can, a familiar voice called out a horribly familiar name in shock.

     “Screech?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, another chapter done. ^^ Once this is over I can get back to Trail of Ashes - though I'm going to be writing some original stuff (not anything I'll post here) as well over the summer, so don't expect constant updates.
> 
> Anyway, sorry for the infodumps in this chapter. There's only so many chapters in a novella to get information out. I tried to make it flow - I hope I succeeded.
> 
> Two years have gone by, and now Sushi and Scourge's kits are fully grown. And the destruction of the forest has begun. At this point, Sushi would be seven years old, so she's getting pretty up there in years, as are Scraps and Wrapper, but they aren't totally elderly yet. Catflap, on the other hand, totally is - I think he's around 12 years old here. Yes, I know that's ridiculously old for a wild cat, but whatever, Sushi's spent her whole life doing whatever it takes to keep her family well-fed, and it's paid off. Besides, Mitsystar's at least that old in the canon universe now, and she's still going strong.
> 
> Now that they're back in Twolegplace, next chapter should be interesting. ^^ Only three chapters left - and I promise you'll learn the connection to Trail of Ashes in the last chapter. It isn't a big connection, but whatever.


	8. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sushi and her family are discovered in Twolegplace

Warriors Series 5.5: Echoes of the War  
Novella 1: Sushi's Society  
Chapter Seven

     Every cat froze. A horrible sinking feeling came over Sushi. Paws heavy with dread, she turned to face the cat who had spoken.

     A skinny black-and-white tom was padding towards her, his yellow eyes wide with shock. The orange collar that hung around his neck was unfamiliar, but it didn't take her long to recognize the tom. “Zoom?” she mewed warily.

     Zoom lifted his head, eyes suddenly bright with joy. “It is you!” He bounded towards Sushi, tail curled in delight. “I can't believe you're back, Screech! And...” The black-and-white tom looked around Sushi, eyes widening as he noticed the three young cats behind her. “Are... are those his kits?”

     Sushi sighed. As the kits of Bone, Zoom and his littermates had always been closer to Scourge and his guard than most young cats in BloodClan. He had never seemed like a cruel cat to Sushi, but he admired Scourge and the other guards greatly, not seeming to see their cruelty.

     Before she could answer, Sunny rose to her paws, coming to stand beside her mother. Seeing her on the streets of BloodClan, a proud glint in her eyes, her head held high, it was so easy to see Scourge in her. “Yes,” she mewed clearly to Zoom. “My brothers and I are the kits of Scourge.”

     “Wow!” Zoom mewed, eyes wide. “Everyone thought you died after the forest battle.” He stiffened, realizing aloud, “The other guards! They're having some kind of meeting tonight – they'll be so glad to see that you're back!”

     Sushi froze, horror sinking in. Zoom wanted to take them to see the top guards in BloodClan. Everyone would know that she was back in Twolegplace. She would be Screech once more, she would never be able to leave Twolegplace again, and she would be seen as the vicious killer she had tried so hard to escape.

     She was too frozen in her fear to answer. It was Sunny who spoke. “Then lead us there.” Sushi gave the tabby an alarmed glance, which Sunny met carefully. She could see the underlying fear in her daughter's gaze, and the warning – she knew that they had no choice but to go with Zoom.

     For a moment, the thought crossed her mind that she could overpower Zoom easily. Just a quick flick of her paw, and her claws would slice Zoom's throat open before he could so much as mew. She had killed before; she could do it again. This skinny tom was the only thing standing between her and the freedom of her family. She had killed for far less in the past.

     Then, she saw Sunny's gaze, still train on her. When Sushi glanced back at her, Sunny gave a minute shake of her head, seeming to guess her mother's thoughts. Sushi's gut clenched in horror. She had killed before, it was true. But never in front of her family. Never in front of her kits. She had put that part of herself in the past, and she wanted it to stay there. The thought of her family, her kits, seeing the monster she could be, nearly overwhelmed her with horror. Sushi forced her fur to lie flat, murmuring, “Do as my daughter says.”

     Zoom didn't seem to have noticed Sushi's internal turmoil. He was all cheer as he started leading the family out of the alley, taking them along the twisting paths of Twolegplace. Sushi's heart sank as she recognized the streets and alleys; they weren't far from Scourge's old den. Sunny walked at the rear, watching behind them for any signs of danger, while Snuggle and Scraps stayed beside Catflap, helping him to walk. Wrapper and Shy walked side by side. Sushi couldn't read Shy's expression, but she could see Wrapper's clenched jaw, and the hatred smoldering in her eyes. Sushi felt a rush of dread; she had thought she'd rescued her family from this life, but now they were being dragged back in as well. She only hoped she could stop Wrapper from up and attacking any cat.

     Finally, they were led to Scourge's old den. The old leader's sent had long since faded from the old dumpster, but the smell of BloodClan still hung in the air. Cats were gathered everywhere; draped across the dumpster, resting under it, sitting across from it, sprawled across the pavement. Sushi bristled as she recognized most of Scourge's old guard, as well as some newer faces.

     Every cat looked up as Zoom led the family into the alley. Sushi had to fight not to flinch away from their looks of shock, joy, suspicion, and in some cases anger. She could see Frenzy and Viper sitting near the dumpster, glaring at her with undisguised loathing. Frenzy had never forgiven her for humiliating him in front of Scourge all those seasons ago, and for scarring his face. The long, ugly scratches were still plain to see across his muzzle and nose. When Frenzy caught her looking his way, he bared his fangs in a snarl. Other cats were staring at her with clear suspicion. She couldn't blame them – she and Scourge's heirs had disappeared under mysterious circumstances. It must seem to the guards that they had abandoned the Clan, which was exactly what had happened.

     But other cats were watching her in clear awe. Some of the younger recruits were whispering to each other fiercely, casting awe-filled glances at Sushi. A few of them were the age of Sushi's kits, or younger. They must have grown up with stories about the brave and vicious Screech.

     “Screech?” Sushi turned to see Hiss staring at her, eyes wide in shock. Sushi's pelt began to lie a little flatter. Hiss was the only one of Scourge's guard that Sushi was actually glad to see. While Hiss never hesitated to carry out Scourge's orders, Sushi had always gotten the feeling that she didn't like it any better than Sushi. In addition, she was an old friend of Catflap and Bellchime, and had always looked out for Sushi as much as she could while she was on the guard.

     “Hiss,” she murmured. Sushi approached the tortoiseshell, brushing muzzles with her. “It's good to see you again.” She stepped back, letting Hiss greet Catflap. As Hiss murmured to the elderly tom, Sushi realized with a shock how thin the tortoiseshell was. She glanced back at the other guards, realizing that they were all far thinner than they should have been, even for leafbare. Sushi and her own starving family didn't seem as weak in comparison now. Even more surprising was that every cat she could see bore the marks of battle. Each cat had wounds, both old and and fresh. Her ears flew back in surprise; who had they been fighting?

     Sushi was so distracted, she almost didn't hear the gasp from one of the older guards. “Are those Scourge's kits?” Cries of shock and joy came from the gathered cats. Guards came to their paws, leaping down from the dumpster, coming to investigate Sushi's kits. At first, Sushi had drawn all of the attention, but now that her kits had been noticed, every cat was desperate to see them. Cats were sniffing them, touching their noses to their pelts, and staring at them like they couldn't believe they existed. Snuggle looked uncomfortable, flinching away from so many cats surrounding him. Shy was perfectly still, his golden gaze completely blank, while Sunny had her chin lifted, her ice-blue eyes filled with determination.

     Once the crowd began to calm, one cat turned to Sushi. She recognized the elderly white tom as Gouge – she didn't see Gash anywhere, so she assumed that he was gone, and now Gouge was the oldest guard. “How are you here?” he asked, sounding stunned. “After the forest battle, everyone assumed that you were dead, and that someone had stolen the kits.”

     Sushi hesitated. She knew that she had to act like the loyal guard they had known her as – anything else would result in punishment for them all. Slowly, an idea came to mind of how to justify leaving the Clan. “I was there when Scourge died,” she lied, the words coming easily. “His last words were to order me to take our kits somewhere they would be safe.”

     Shock rippled through the crowd of guards. “Scourge ordered you to leave the Clan?” mewed a tortoiseshell tom with a stumpy tail. Sushi recognized him as Snipe – according to Catflap, he had been a good friend of Barley's growing up. “Why would he send his own heirs away, when we needed them so badly?”

     The old role of Screech was coming back easily to Sushi. She drew herself up, looming over the other guards, hackles bristling just a little, her voice lowered to a growl. “Because there were cats among his guard that he did not trust,” she growled, sweeping a meaningful glance across the gathered guards. She could see expressions of shock from the others, or defiance, in the case of Frenzy and Viper. “Our kits were too young to defend themselves. He did not trust that they would be safe with all of you sniffing around for power, but he trusted me to take them somewhere they could grow up safely.”

     “But now you're back,” Tooth mewed. He and his identical brother, Fang, were standing near Snuggle, staring at the huge tom in admiration.

     Fang added, “Have you come back for your kits to lead us?”

     Sushi stiffened in surprise. Her kits, the leaders of BloodClan? She had almost forgotten it was a possibility. Before she could think about that too much, Snuggle spoke up. “We didn't come to take leadership from any cat.” He glanced uneasily at Gouge. Sushi followed his gaze, wondering if the oldest guard had taken up the leadership of BloodClan.

     She was surprised to hear a raspy mew of laughter from Hiss. “There is no leader of BloodClan,” the tortoiseshell rasped. “Not anymore.” Sushi glanced at her old friend in surprise. “After Scourge and Bone died, and you disappeared, cats kept trying to take over as our leader. But none stuck very long.”

     “For a while, Snake and Ice tried to be leaders,” Snipe grunted. “But they were weak. When cats came from the forest to attack us, they rolled over quick as a mouse to save their own skins.”

     Viper hissed, “They haven't shown their faces here since.”

     Hiss nodded slowly. “Since then, we've been even more divided than ever,” she told Sushi wearily. “The attack from the ThunderClan cats left us weak and without leadership. We haven't had anyone to really unite us since then, and the Clan has suffered for it. Dogs and rats take our prey, leafbare drove away the rest, and cats are scared.”

     “Ever since Snake and Ice fled, cats have been fighting over the leadership,” Shatter added, throwing a glare at Night. The huge black tom glared back, unsheathing his claws. With a final glare at Night, Shatter turned her attention back to Sushi. “Factions have been battling each other, stealing prey – it's been complete chaos. The fighting has left every cat weakened, and no cat is eating as well as they should.”

     “We called this meeting tonight, among the leaders of a lot of these little factions, to bring a stop to the fighting,” Hiss added. “It's only brought us more chaos and death. We've agreed that we need a strong leader to bring us together. But no cat could agree who.” Sushi could barely stand to look at the hope in Hiss's gaze. “It must be the intervention of some spirit that brought you here when it did, just when we needed a leader.”

     Snipe glanced over at Sunny, eyes bright with hope. “Scorch, you were Scourge's heir,” he rasped, using the name Scourge had given the she-cat. With a pang, Sushi remembered that no BloodClan cats had known the true names of her kits. “You should lead us now.”

     Sushi was frozen in fear. This was exactly what she had fled Twolegplace to avoid. She had never wanted her kits to be dragged into the cutthroat world of BloodClan leadership. Even now, fears of corruption of her kits weighed heavy in her mind. She didn't want to see her kits held to the standard of Scourge, expected to be just as cruel and controlling of leaders as he was. They were adults, but they were still young, and being given so much power and control could make a cat arrogant. She already knew Sunny had some arrogance and ambition, even though she was a good cat – what would a leadership like Scourge's do to her?

     Even worse, it seemed that Sunny did not have every cat's support. Frenzy and Viper were glaring hatred at Sushi's daughter, greed glittering in the littermates' eyes. Shatter and Basher were muttering to each other, casting suspicious glances at Sunny, while Night looked uneasy. It was clear that not ever one of Scourge's guards was ready to let a cat they barely knew lead them, even if she was the daughter of their previous leader.

     Before Sushi could protest, Sunny lifted her head. The tiny tabby mewed clearly for every cat to hear, “I am the heir of Scourge, like you say. But Scourge would have wanted me and my brothers to know Twolegplace longer before I became it's leader.” Her ice-blue gaze flitted to Viper and Frenzy briefly. Sushi realized that her daughter understood the suspicion against her by the other guards.

     “So you won't be our leader?” Snipe asked, sounding perplexed.

     Sunny's hackles rose, a growl escaping her. “Not yet,” she mewed firmly. Sushi watched her daughter, seeing more of Scourge in her now than ever before. Then, she stiffened in shock as Sunny glanced up at her. “My mother will be your leader. Scourge trusted her to train his heirs, and she will be a strong leader. She will unite BloodClan and make the Clan strong again.”

     Sushi was rooted in place, frozen in shock. It took all of her willpower to keep her expression neutral, so no cat guessed how much her daughter's words had surprised her. Frenzy was staring at Sushi with shock and hatred, but not every cat seemed as surprised. Shatter and Basher were nodding slowly, looking more pleased with this suggestion, while Night flicked his tail in agreement. Hiss was looking at Sushi with relief in her gaze, and hope. Even the cats who had been suspicious of Sunny were more accepting of the idea of Sushi leading them. She had left mysteriously for two leafbares, but they still knew her reputation, feared her, and respected her.

     Inside, Sushi was reeling. Her, lead BloodClan? It had been bad enough being a guard, but to actually lead the Clan? Her legs nearly began to shake at the thought of all the cruelty BloodClan would expect from her.

     Then, she began to really think. Scourge wasn't here anymore. Whatever BloodClan expected from her, they would be under _her_ command. Once she had the loyalty of enough cats, she wouldn't have to bow down to the expectations of the cruelest cats anymore. Maybe Wrapper had been right, all those moons ago, when she'd said they could change BloodClan for the better. Maybe this was her chance. She could protect her kits this way, keep them from being influenced by the crueler guards, and Sunny could become leader when she was ready. But for now, maybe Sushi could do some actual good for the cats of Twolegplace.

     Every cat seemed to be holding their breath as they watched Sushi. She took a moment to collect herself, then mewed clearly, “My daughter is right. I will lead BloodClan until Scorch is ready to take my place.”

     Her announcement was met with relief from most cats. One by one, cats approached her, dipping their heads, murmuring their allegiance, or just gazing at her with respect. Hiss bumped her muzzle against Sushi's, joy shining in her eyes. Even cats who Sushi distrusted or disliked seemed weary enough to accept the she-cat as their leader.

     Frenzy and Viper were the last cats to approach Sushi. Viper shoved right past her, barely even glancing Sushi's way. Frenzy came to a halt beside Sushi. He dipped his head, seeming respectful, until his muzzle brushed against Sushi's ear. “Don't think for once second that I'm going to roll over and take orders from you.”

     For a moment, Sushi felt fear. Then, her resolve hardened. She growled in the same low tone, “And don't think for one second that I'm going to tolerate disobedience from _any_ cat.”

     Frenzy just sneered, giving one last growl before stalking away. Once he left her side, Sushi realized that most of the guards were staring at her, waiting for orders. She gulped as she realized that it was her job to keep them united and alive now. _StarClan help me,_ she thought.

     Her own thought suddenly made her pause. An idea came to her. It was risky, but maybe it would be enough to assure BloodClan of her strength as a leader – and it could help give her enough time and strength, and the authority, to make BloodClan into whatever she wanted. With a determined flick of her tail, Sushi leaped atop the dumpster, where Scourge used to make some of his speeches.

     “We lost the battle with the forest Clans,” she began slowly, addressing every listening cat. “We were the stronger Clan – we are faster, stronger, better trained, and fiercer than any of those forest fools. That battle should have been ours.” Privately, she believed no such thing, but she knew what the cats in front of her needed to hear. “But they had one strength that we did not have.” Her mind went back to Firestar, first laying dead in the grass, then standing alive once more, and to what Ravenpaw had told her of the forest Clans.

     “In the forest, the leader of a Clan is given nine lives by their ancestors,” Sushi revealed. “The ginger leader who killed Scourge was only able to do so because he had extra lives to spare. If Scourge had been given the same blessing, he would still be with us today.” All around her, cats were staring at her with wide eyes, hanging on her every word. “If BloodClan is to become strong again, we must have a leader with the strength of nine cats.” She lifted her head. “Tomorrow, I will travel to the forest to receive the nine lives of a Clan leader. Then nothing will stand in BloodClan's way to greatness!”

     Cats began yowling their approval, tails waving in excitement. Sushi could see Frenzy watching her from the crowd with uncontrolled envy and rage in his eyes. She met his stare evenly, glaring firmly back at him. Right now, she was the only cat who knew how to receive nine lives, and she was going to protect that information from cats like Frenzy, who would only use it for greed.

     When the cheering died down, she ordered every cat back to their dens for the night. Hiss offered to stay with the family and help them settle in. Some of the other guards seemed relieved to hear Hiss was staying – Sushi guessed they weren't entirely sure she and her kits wouldn't disappear in the night.

     While Hiss was helping Catflap, Scraps, and Wrapper make nests for the night, Sushi pulled her kits aside to speak with them. Snuggle and Shy looked a bit spooked by everything, but Sunny was watching her mother calmly. “I'm surprised you told them I should lead BloodClan,” Sushi murmured to her daughter. “I know you've always wanted to be a leader.”

     Sunny gave a half-amused snort. “Yeah, but what kind of leader would I make?” she pointed out wryly. “I know my own flaws, Sushi. I can be arrogant, I'm not compassionate like Snuggle, or tactful like Shy. If I had to be the kind of leader these cats expected... well, let's say I don't think I should have that kind of power yet.” She gave her mother an amused glance. “I'm still young to be a leader, anyway. I could use some teaching before I go trying to lead anything. But after a few seasons... we'll see.”

     Her expression grew more serious. “But I know you'll be a good leader, mother. You've always looked out for our family so well.” She brush her muzzle against Sushi's, adding, “You can make BloodClan better. I know you can. And if you really do speak with our ancestors tomorrow, they can help you too.”

     Sushi was suddenly overwhelmed with pride. This was exactly the sort of cat she hoped her daughter would become. Smart, kind, and not so ambitious as to hurt others. She gazed at all three of her kits, too overcome with pride and joy to speak.

     When she finally found her tongue again, she rasped, “I'll do my best, for you and for BloodClan.”

     “And if I do get my nine lives, maybe I really can make something better of this Clan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, another chapter. ^^
> 
> So yeah, Sushi is the new leader of BloodClan, and now she's off to get her nine lives. :D Which is great, because nine-lives ceremonies are one of my favorites things to write. ^^ I dunno, I love writing the ceremonies in Warriors. :P
> 
> We're closing in on the end here - only two chapters left. Next chapter will be interesting in terms of what's going to happen with the nine lives, and what will be discussed about what's in the future for BloodClan. I can't wait to write it. ^^


	9. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sushi goes to receive her nine lives

Warriors Series 5.5: Echoes of the War  
Novella 1: Sushi's Society  
Chapter Eight

     It was barely sunrise when the cats set out for the Highstones. A freezing wind wove through their pelts, making every cat shiver. As the pale colors of the dawn sky shined down on their pelts, Sushi only hoped the day would bring more warmth.

     Only four cats had accompanied Sushi on her journey to the Highstones. Basher was at the rear, his hackles raised uncomfortably as they traveled through the decimated forest. Hiss was walking alongside Sunny, the two she-cats murmuring to each other in low voices. Sushi was at the front, leading the group through the destroyed forest, while Scraps walked just behind her.

     Ravenpaw had told Sushi a little bit about the leadership ceremony, the little that he knew. She knew roughly where Highstones was, and was doing her best to lead the other cats there from memory. After they reached Highstones, she knew she was to descend inside of Mothermouth, into the tunnel where the Moonstone awaited. She would have to touch her nose to the Moonstone. After that, Ravenpaw didn't know what happened. He had just told her that the new leader shared dreams with StarClan, and when they awoke, they had nine lives and a new name.

     Basher seemed to be growing more uneasy by the minute. “Where is this place we're going, anyway?” he blustered. His gaze was flicking anxiously around the forest. “And what about the Clans? Will we have to cross their territory to reach this place?”

     “We haven't scented any Clan cats in the areas for a few days,” Sushi told Basher. “As far as we could figure out, they'd left the forest altogether. It must have been too hard for them to live here with how the twolegs destroyed it.”

     The massive ginger tabby grunted. “Then how are we supposed to cross the forest, if those Clan cats couldn't even live here anymore?” he demanded.

     Sushi gave a patient sigh. “They couldn't live here because their camps were destroyed and there wasn't enough prey,” she mewed patiently. “That has nothing to do with us being able to travel safely to the Highstones.” She shared a brief, uneasy glance with Scraps, remembering the monsters that had torn up their home with their massive jaws. “As long as we can avoid the twolegs and their monsters,” she added.

     Basher lashed his tail, but couldn't seem to come up with another objection. As they continued walking along, Sushi slowed enough to walk beside her brother. “How much do you know about the leader ceremony?” she asked in a low murmur. While she doubted that Ravenpaw had told him more about it, but Scraps seemed to have some of the talents of a Clan medicine cat. She wondered whether he might share their connection with their ancestors.

     Scraps shook his head. “Not much,” he murmured. “Just what Ravenpaw told us.”

     Sushi tried not to feel uneasy. She had no idea whether there would be any ancestors waiting for her at the Moonstone, whether her own, or from the forest Clans. And even if they were there – would they find her worthy of the nine lives of a leader? Or would they condemn her for her past crimes?

     They were finally able to navigate through the decimated forest, reaching the moorland. Navigating the moor was far easier. At long last, they reached the Highstones. The stones jutted into the sky, just as Ravenpaw had promised.

     When they arrived, Sushi turned to her escort. “Sunny, Basher, Hiss, you stay out here,” she ordered firmly. “Scraps and I can go in alone.”

     Hiss nodded easily, but Basher looked suspicious, flattening his ears against his head. “Why can't we go in with you? “he demanded.

     Sushi met his glare easily, letting her hackles raise as she growled, “Because I said so. This ceremony is only for a leader, and for the guide of a healer.” Without waiting for his reply, she whirled away, padding into the darkness of the cave within. Scraps followed after her.

     The tunnel soon became completely consumed by darkness. Sushi couldn't see where she was placing her paws anymore. But she forced herself to keep going, following the tunnel as it went deeper and deeper underground.

     Finally, Sushi spotted light up ahead. Her breath caught as the tunnel opened up into a wide cave. Moonlight spilled into the cave, reflecting off of a large stone in the center of the cave, casting an ethereal light on everything. Sushi paused for a moment, surprised by its beauty.

     Scraps brushed past his sister's flank, murmuring, “Touch your nose to the stone.” Sushi glanced back at him, suddenly anxious. Scraps met her gaze calmly. “Don't worry,” he mewed. “It'll be fine. Just trust our ancestors.”

     Sushi took a deep breath, forcing her fears to the back of her mind. Then, she approached the Moonstone. She crouched before the stone, touching her noes to the cold surface. A shock of cold raced through her veins, turning them to ice. It didn't take long for her to drift into sleep.

     For a long time, nothing happened. Sushi lay completely still, feeling herself grow colder and colder by the second. It was as if every scrap of warmth was being sucked out of her pelt, until she felt like ice. After a while, she began to feel worried. She allowed her eyes to open a crack, only for them to fly open in shock.

     Sushi was lying in the floor of a very familiar den. It was the twoleg den where she had birthed and raised her kits in BloodClan. The den was completely empty of cats, and everything was in place, her old nest neatly lined up where she had left it two leafbares ago. But when Sushi looked up, she stiffened in shock. The roof of the den was gone, faded away to reveal the night sky overhead. And if that wasn't strange enough, the sky was even stranger. Even as Sushi was watching, the stars began moving and swirling in the sky, right before her eyes.

     The stars began spiraling down from the sky, taking shape as they grew closer. Sushi's pelt bristled in fear as the spirit cats took form, stalking down from the sky to settle all around her in the den. Everywhere she looked, cats were sitting across every surface, more cats than she ever thought the den could hold. Their pelts sparkled strong with starlight, their eyes bright, their bodies strong. Some of the cats were so faded that she could see straight through them, but many were still clear to see.

     Sushi's heart clenched as she began to recognize faces from the crowd. _Lark, Hemlock, Bellchime..._ Cats she had known in BloodClan, cats innocent of her own crimes, filled the starry ranks. There were even more faces that she didn't recognize, row upon row of cats that she had never met before. As Sushi forced herself shakily to her paws, she finally found her voice again. “Who... who are you?” she rasped.

     She had to fight the urge to flee from the sea of starry eyes staring back at her. “We are your ancestors,” a voice answered. It held the voice of every cat she had ever known, and even more cats that she had never met, and yet it was one clear voice. “We are the spirits of the cats of Twolegplace, from season upon season upon season, long before your BloodClan began. This place has always been a home to cats, and our spirits have watched over the cats who have lived there for seasons.”

     Sushi was awed into silence. She could sense the power of the cats before her, their age and their wisdom. All of her past wrongs came to her mind at once. From the crowd, she could see some of her own victims, staring back at her with no emotion. With a small mew, she lowered herself in a crowd, cowering before the spirits of her ancestors. “I'm so sorry for everything,” she murmured, unable to meet the eyes of any of the spirits. “I've done so much wrong. I'm sorry for all the cats I've hurt.”

     She could feel the eyes of her ancestors on her. After several moments of silence, the voice finally spoke again. “You have been forgiven, Sushi.” The she-cat let out the breath she'd been holding, feeling her legs shake with relief. Sushi finally dared to lift her head, seeing the warmth in the eyes of the spirits. “What you did, you did in the name of your family. You have recognized the wrong and tried to make up for it. And you will continue to make up for it, moon upon moon, as the leader of BloodClan.”

     Sushi felt nearly weak with relief. Her ancestors had been watching over her, and they didn't hate her for what she had done. They had forgiven her. As she tried to control her shaking legs, the spirits continued. “The Moonstone is a place where the voices of ancestors can be heard the loudest by the living. It has been used by StarClan for countless seasons to communicate with their living Clanmates. But now the Clans are gone, and their ancestors have traveled with them. This place will belong to the cats of Twolegplace now. You will use it in the seasons to come, to bring BloodClan closer to their ancestors.”

     “And now, Sushi, are you ready to receive your nine lives and name?”

     Sushi finally felt her fear begin to fade, excitement starting to take it's place. She rose back to her paws, standing before her ancestors as she mewed, “I am.”

     Once she had spoken, a cat broke from the starry ranks. It took Sushi a moment to recognize the rusty ginger pelt, and the bright amber eyes. “Brick?” Sushi mewed, voice high in disbelief. “Is it really you?”

     Brick had been one of Scourge's first supporters, and one of Bone's oldest friends. But when Scourge had started to make his cruel intentions as leader more clear, Brick had become more and more uneasy. One day, a few moons into Scourge's leadership, he refused to kill a cat on Scourge's orders, a kittypet who had only taken a few mice. Scourge had him killed. When Sushi had known him as a living cat, he had been a bit older, with a scrawny body criss-crossed in scars, including a big bald patch of skin between his shoulders. But now, his frame was filled out, his fur sleek, his pelt free of any scars.

     “Hello Sushi,” Brick mewed, flicking his tail in a friendly greeting. “It is good to see you again.” Before Sushi could reply, Brick came to stand before Sushi. He pressed his nose against Sushi's, murmuring, “With this life, I give you caution. When times get hard, it can be easy to trust cats too easily, without thinking of the consequences. You must always put your Clan first, and use caution to protect them from cats who would take advantage of them.” For a moment, regret flashed in his eyes. Sushi wondered if he was thinking about how he had trusted Scourge.

     No sooner had the thought come to her mind, when a lightning bolt of pain rocked through Sushi's body. Agony ripped through her veins as images of red bricks and dark alleys raced through her mind. She could see cats with sly expressions crawling towards her on their bellies, only to rear up when they were close enough to slice at her with long, hooked claws. Sushi had to clamp her jaws shut with all of her might to keep from wailing in agony. _Am I dying?_ she wondered vaguely. It seemed like the pain would never end.

     Finally, the pain faded away, and her vision cleared. She was left gasping, staring at the circle of cats surrounding her. Brick was no longer standing before her; she spotted his rusty pelt among the throng of spirits, seated once again among his Clanmates.

     Sushi fought to get her breath back. _Is that what every life is going to be like?_ she wondered desperately, almost starting to feel afraid. Then, she gave a rough shake of her head, jutting her chin up. She would endure. She had to.

     The next cat to approach her was harder to place. It wasn't until the soft gray she-cat was close enough for Sushi to meet her gaze, that she realized who this must be. Her blue eyes were identical to Barley's. “You must be Lark,” she murmured. “Barley's mother.”

     Lark dipped her head. “I am.” When she lifted her head again, her blue eyes sparkled with warmth. “I'm glad my son gave you shelter. My kits will be safe in your protection.” She touched her nose to Sushi's, mewing, “With this life I give you a mother's love for her kits. You have already known this love, and the desire to do anything to protect your family. You must use this protection for all of BloodClan now, as if they were your own kits.”

     The agony was even worse now, but this time the pain was familiar. She could sense tiny, helpless bodies wriggling by her paws, wailing for her. Dark shadows approached; she didn't know what they were, but she knew they were a threat to the helpless ones. Sushi reared up, roaring and slicing at the air with her claws. She would give her life to protect those in her care.

     As her vision cleared and the pain ebbed away, Sushi searched the crowd for the next cat to bestow a life. Her breath caught as a black-and-white she-cat broke from the crowd and approached her. She would never forget this cat's name, not in a million moons.

     This was the first cat she had killed on Scourge's orders.

     “Molly,” she whispered, feeling all of her grief and regret come flooding back. “Oh Molly, I'm so sorry.” She could feel Molly's tooth on her collar now, digging lightly into Sushi's neck. Molly had been a former kittypet who had hunted in Scourge's alleys one too many times. Scourge had ordered Sushi to kill her as punishment. She could still see Molly's body, lying stretched out and bloody on the pavement by the time Sushi had been done with her.

     But now, Molly's pelt was sleek and clean again, her eyes sparkling with warmth. “It took me a long time to forgive you,” she informed Sushi bluntly. “But watching everything you did for your family, it was hard to hate you.” Her whiskers twitched. “And now, you can make sure that no more cats have to die like I did. That's what you can do to make it up to me.”

     She touched her nose to Sushi's. “With this life I give you compassion,” she mewed clearly. “Use it well for every cat in Twolegplace – not just those you consider closest to you. It will take compassion and understanding to keep cats from being killed out of greed.”

     This was the worst agony she had felt yet. Instead of a vague images of shadow and light, now Sushi was seeing a very clear scene from Molly's eyes. She could see herself, young and vicious, attacking again and again with no mercy in her eyes. Sushi wanted to scream at herself, beg for mercy, for anything. But those terrible claws struck down again and again. The pain built and built until she thought she could bear it no longer; she knew she was feeling Molly's death. Then, the pain finally faded, and Sushi was back in the twoleg den.

     Molly had retreated back to the ranks of their ancestors. The next cat to approach Sushi was easier to place – she had served beside him as a guard for several seasons, before he had died in the battle with the forest Clans. “Greetings, Hemlock,” she mewed, dipping her head respectfully. She couldn't help but be a bit puzzled; Hemlock had seemed as vicious as any of Scourge's guards. How had he come to these starry cats after he had died.

     The dark gray tom seemed to guess Sushi's thoughts. “I became part of Scourge's guard because I honestly believed that he was the best cat to lead the cats of Twolegplace,” he mewed gruffly. “As it got more violent, I started to have doubts. I hated what he ordered me to do. But I was never brave enough to disobey him – until the battle with the forest Clans.”

     A dark gleam came to his amber gaze. “I saw the fur flying, cats dying, blood spilling on the grass, and I realized how wrong all of it was. I helped an injured cat escape from Viper. I managed to get them to a medicine cat before another Clan cat struck me from behind and killed me.” He sighed. “I should have been braver faster. Maybe it could have made a difference. But here, I am forgiven, and I can put my past as a guard behind me.” Hemlock lifted his chin. “I am not Hemlock, as Scourge made me. Here, I am my true self again – I am Leaf.”

     Leaf touched his nose to Sushi's. “With this life, I give you the courage to question what you are told,” he announced. “Cats like Scourge come to power, not because every cat is cruel enough to agree with them, but because the cats who disagree aren't brave enough to speak out. The only way to protect your Clan from the Scourges of this world is to always speak out against injustice. Never take anything for granted. Always question what you are told, even if you fear the consequences – if you don't speak, who will?”

     Searing pain blazed through Sushi's body. Her vision clouded over with flashes of red and black, the vague shapes of bodies fighting, and the shrieks of cats in pain. As Sushi's body was racked with agony, she could see cats, watching in silence. They did nothing but stare as the violence raged in front of them. Sushi was overcome with horror; would no cat do anything to stop these horrors?

     Her vision cleared once again, leaving her in the twoleg den. Unlike before, Leaf was still standing before her. Sushi somehow felt that she had to say something to him, to assure him that she really would make BloodClan a better place. “Once I have enough control over the Clan to run it the way I want, I'll offer all of the guards to take their true names back,” she murmured to him. “We shouldn't have to be stuck with vicious names if we don't want. We don't have to be what Scourge made us. And I will make sure you're remembered as a good cat, Leaf.”

     Gratitude glowed in Leaf's amber eyes. He dipped his head to Sushi and, without another word, retreated back into the starry ranks of his ancestors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeaaaaaaaaah, shame on me for thinking a nine lives ceremony was going to fit in one chapter. XD Don't worry, the whole thing is already written, I just have to split it into two chapters. Both chapters will be posted right now. ^^
> 
> So yeah, the first cats have given Sushi her lives. I always love writing these ceremonies. ^^ I hope this lived up to expectations. The rest will be in the next chapter.


	10. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sushi's ceremony continues

Warriors Series 5.5: Echoes of the War  
Novella 1: Sushi's Society  
Chapter Nine

     Sushi stiffened in surprise when she saw the next cat that padded out of the crowd. The large tom didn't look or smell like the other ancestors. His image felt fading in and out, as if he didn't quite fit into this world, and his pelt smelled of leaves and trees. Somehow, Sushi got the feeling this wasn't one of her ancestors at all. “Who are you?” she asked curiously.

     The big white tom drew himself up proudly. “My name is Whitestorm,” he rumbled, his voice sounding distant, almost as though a wind was muffling it. Sushi's tail flicked in surprise. “I am a warrior of StarClan – but in life, I was the deputy of ThunderClan.”

     Sushi blinked. She recognized the tom now. He had been at Fourtrees the day of the battle, standing beside Firestar before the fighting started. She hadn't seen him after that. “I'm honored,” Sushi mewed, dipping her head to the warrior. She suddenly realized why Whitestorm looked so faded – he wasn't a part of this sky, and he was far from his living descendants. She couldn't guess the effort it took him to appear here for her ceremony. “I-I'm surprised a cat of StarClan would want to give a life to the leader of BloodClan,” she confessed. “We tried to steal your home.”

     “And I was killed by your Clanmate, Bone,” Whitestorm added. Sushi's ears flattened in surprise. “But I know that a bad leader can turn any group of cats into something worse than they really are.” There was warmth in his amber gaze. “You have a chance to make Twolegplace a place where cats can live in peace. I wanted to be a part of that.”

     Whitestorm touched his nose to Sushi's, rumbling, “With this life, I give you honor. The warrior code is not the only worthwhile way of living your life. But a cat without a code of honor is lost. Find honor for the cats of Twolegplace, and use it to make them better than Scourge made them.”

     The pain was less this time. She could feel strength in her muscles, stretching her limbs as she raced through the forest. All around her were the sounds of cats running, her Clanmtes flanking her, always by her side. Even though she couldn't see them, Sushi knew they were always there. She and her Clan, united by honor, the strong helping the weak, bound together by loyalty.

     When her vision cleared, Whitestorm had already returned to the ranks of Sushi's ancestors. Another tom took his place, smaller than Whitestorm, with long brown fur. Immediately she could tell the mottled tom was another Clan cat. He didn't look like a fighter, though, and his pelt smelled more of running water and reeds than of forest.

     “I am Mudfur,” the brown tom told her as he came to stand before her, his voice just as distant as Whitestorm's, and his pelt just as faded. “In life I was the medicine cat of RiverClan. I died shortly before the Clans left the forest to seek their new home. The rest of StarClan left with them, but I stayed behind to help you and your ancestors – and to help Scraps.” Amusement gleamed in his eyes for a moment. “Your brother is talented, but he will need training if he is to be a full medicine cat one day. I will walk in his dreams and teach him all that I know, and then I will rejoin my Clanmates in their new home.”

     Sushi purred. “Thank you, Mudfur,” she mewed, dipping her head. “I know my brother will appreciate that.”

     Mudfur pressed his nose to Sushi's. “With this life, I give you healing,” he murmured. “A leader must be everything her Clan needs from her – she must be both healer and fighter, both fierce and comforting. A group that doesn't heal the injured, cure the sick, and look after those who cannot look after themselves, can only ever be cruel.”

     The pain shot through her pelt, making every hair stand on end. She see rows and rows of wailing cats, writhing in agony. Despair nearly took over; these cats were suffering, and she was the only one who could heal them all. There was no one to guide her – they all looked up to her. And sometimes, she couldn't save them.

     When Sushi's sight came back, she almost didn't believe it had. The sight of the next cat to approach sent her tail straight up in shock. The flame-colored tom approaching her looked so much like Sunny, it nearly took her breath away. _It can't be Firestar... can it?_ she wondered for a moment. _He couldn't have lost nine lives this quickly!_

     But when he got closer, Sushi realized he did have some differences from Firestar. The hue of his pelt was a little different, and he was plumper than the forest leader, with a green collar hanging around his neck. When he finally stood before her, the tom lifted his head, amusement gleaming in his grass-green eyes. “My name is Jake,” he told Sushi. “In life I was a kittypet. We never met, but my life and choices have influenced every cat in Twolegplace.”

     Sushi tipped her head in question. “What do you mean?” She was still distracted by how much this tom resembled both Firestar and Sunny.

     Jake sighed. “I was the father of two litters when I was alive,” he told Sushi. “The mothers were kittypets too, but one kit from each litter decided to leave the kittypet life behind. The cat from the second litter was the cat you know as Firestar.” Sushi nodded her understanding. It definitely explained why Jake looked so much like the forest tom, and Ravenpaw had mentioned that Firestar had been born a kittypet.

     “Who was the cat from the first litter?” she asked.

     The flame-colored tom gazed at her wearily. “Scourge.”

     Sushi bristled in shock. _Scourge and Firestar were half brothers?_ she realized, stunned. She had never guessed that Scourge shared blood with any forest cat. But the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. Now she finally understood why her daughter looked so much like the ThunderClan leader.

     “I wasn't able to be there for my son,” Jake was continuing. “But maybe if I had been, things could have been different. Or maybe not. Either way, I only wish I could have done something to stop what he became.”

     Before Sushi could try to reassure him, Jake touched his nose to hers. “With this life, I give you curiosity,” he mewed clearly. “A good leader must be willing to explore beyond what they know. Use this gift to learn about life beyond your borders – there is more than one way for a cat to live.”

     The pain was much lighter on this life. Golden light and warm colors flooded her vision. Great, fantastic images flashed in her mind, things she couldn't quite see, but that filled her with awe. She wanted to know more. She wanted to know everything that was out there. She could feel herself bounding along a golden field, her paws tucked under her, a black-and-white pelt streaking along beside her. They were traveling together, ready to explore the unknown.

     After Sushi woke from this life, Jake was already gone. Sushi was starting to feel exhausted from the effort of taking in life after life. She wasn't sure she could stay standing for the last two lives. So when the black tom broke away from the others, it was nearly enough to knock her off of her paws in shock. She recognized his skinny frame and twisted forepaw immediately, and his amber eyes, which had stared at her with such hatred. It was the black tom from the Clan battle. The one who had died.

     “I killed you,” she murmured as the tom drew near. Even though he was faded, she could see his pelt was smooth and clean now, free of the blood and wounds she had given him. But his front paw was still twisted. “I'm so sorry.” She lowered her head, filled with shame.

     The tom spoke in a quiet rumble, sounding just as distant as the other StarClan cats. “My name is Deadfoot,” he told Sushi. “I was the deputy of WindClan before I died. I died in the defense of my Clan, as a warrior is always willing to risk for their Clanmates. That is what makes a Clan strong.” When Sushi finally dared to look up at him again, he was watching her calmly. “It is hard to forgive the cat who took me from my Clan. But if you truly do your best to make BloodClan a better Clan, I wish you luck.”

     Deadfoot touched his nose to Sushi's. “With this life, I give you forgiveness. The most important thing a leader can do is recognize their own faults. But you must also learn to forgive. Forgive others, and more importantly, forgive yourself. Dwelling in the past will help no cat – you must focus on your Clan's needs now, not things that you can't change.”

     Blinding agony rocked through Sushi's body. As the twoleg den fell away from her vision, she found herself thrust into memories of her own crimes. Death after death, maulings, punishments never deserved, and all from her own claws. She was shaking all over, nearly buckled over with regret. Then, a soft voice found its way into her mind. _Forgive. Let it go._ With a slow, shuddering breath, she banished the memories away, back into the far corners of her mind.

     Deadfoot was gone by the time Sushi's vision returned. She was shaking all over now. The agony of each life was draining whatever energy she had left, and her body felt sore and weak. She wondered whether she could bear to receive the final life, and how she was supposed to make the long journey back to Twolegplace after.

     Every single one of those thoughts was driven from her mind when the final cat approached her. She had never seen this cat so young before. Her silver pelt was sleek and soft, not matted with age, and her golden gaze was brighter and clearer than Sushi had ever seen it. She strode towards Sushi, young and and beautiful again, starlight sparkling in her pelt. Sushi's breath caught at the sight of her. “Bellchime,” she breathed.

     “Hello, Sushi.” Bellchime's voice was stronger than she remembered too, but just as warm and loving as ever. Bellchime brushed her muzzle against her daughter's cheek, purring fiercely. “Oh my daughter, I am so proud of you.”

     Sushi had thought seeing the other spirits was hard enough, but this one nearly did her in completely. She had to fight to keep her legs from buckling under her, and to keep from burying herself in her mother's fur like a helpless kit. In the two leafbares since Bellchime had died, Sushi had missed her gentle, loving mother fiercely. And now, she was finally here again. “I missed you so much,” she murmured, nuzzling her muzzled against her mother's cheek. “I wish you were still alive. We need your love, and your guidance.”

     Bellchime pulled back, giving her daughter a loving gaze. “Sushi, I will always be here,” she promised. “I will watch over you from the stars, until you come to join me here. But you have to be here for your Clan now. Don't let your grief keep you from your duties.” With a final lick to her daughter's cheek, Bellchime pulled her muzzle back, pressing her nose gently against Sushi's.

     “With this life, I give you love,” Bellchime murmured. “You have lived among so much hate and fear for all of your life. But you must be ruled by love now. Twolegplace must become a home for love, where cats feel safe, and mercy rules over cruelty. With these gifts the spirits have given you, lead your Clan with wisdom and compassion.”

     There was no pain in this life. Warmth spread through Sushi's tired limbs, bringing them back their strength. She felt like the golden light of greenleaf was shining on her back, and the same security of being a kit at her mother's belly. Everywhere, the feeling of love surrounded her. And she knew, from no on, she had to give that feeling to her Clan. It was her job to save BloodClan from the cruelty and fear that had known all their lives, and show them a life of love instead.

     When her vision cleared, Bellchime had stepped back to join the crowd. The voice of every cat, golden and clear, came together to make one voice once again. “We hail you by your new name, Sushistar.” The she-cat blinked in surprise. “Your old life is no more. You have now received the nine lives of a leader, and your ancestors grant you the guardianship of BloodClan. Defend –”

     “Wait,” the she-cat mewed clearly, lifting her tail for silence. The spirits fell silent, watching her with unreadable expressions. She kept thinking back to what Whitestorm had said. _“The warrior code is not the only worthwhile way of living your life.”_ She remembered what Jake had given her a life for, and what Ravenpaw had taught her about having more than one way to live your life.

     “I am honored by the lives you have given me,” she mewed clearly. “And I will use all of the gifts you gave me to make BloodClan a place of peace. But I can't be Sushistar. I am Sushi. I lost my name once. I can't lose it again.”

     There were uncertain rumblings from the cats in the crowd. “That is the name of a Clan leader,” Mudfur pointed out.

     “But I am not a Clan leader,” Sushi announced firmly. That got even more surprise from the listening cats. “BloodClan isn't a real Clan. It never has been, and as much as you might have been hoping, it never can be.” Sushi shook her head. “I didn't come here today to try and make BloodClan more like a forest Clan. We can't be. How would we have a central camp? How would we send out hunting patrols? Too many cats in one place would draw atttenion from twolegs, and that would put us all in danger. It's just not possible for my group to live as a Clan in the confines of Twolegplace.”

     After some murmuring among the spirits, the singular voice spoke again. “What do you propose?”

     “Exactly what I promised,” Sushi mewed firmly. “I will make them something better. But not a Clan. And not an army, like Scourge wanted.” She gazed out among the spirits, growing more confident in her decision by the moment. “I will create a code of honor, and a system that we can live by that will look out for every cat. We will not be warriors – but we won't be BloodClan killers, either. I will make something new out of these cats that you can all be proud of.”

     It seemed like no cat would ever speak. Countless eyes stared at her, filled with the wisdom of ages. But Sushi didn't look away. She met the gazes of her ancestors calmly, knowing she was right.

     “Very well,” the voice finally came again. “Then go, with our blessing. May the stars light your path, and the path of your cats.”

     “And your path,” Sushi answered. She felt herself being pulled from the dream. As the den began to fade around her, Sushi kept her gaze fixed on one cat. She didn't look away from Bellchime until she could no longer see the silver tabby. But even as the last of the dream slipped away from her, she heard her mother's voice. _I'll be with you,_ she murmured.

      _Always._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here is the actual end of the nine lives ceremony. :P Sorry it ended up being longer than I thought. I know I said that this story was only going to have nine chapters, but since I had to break this chapter into two, that means there's going to be ten chapters total. Ah well.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed all of the cats who gave her lives, and the gifts they gave her. I had fun coming up with each one, and I feel like each one is fitting, I hope you agree.
> 
> Next chapter is going to be the final chapter. There'll be a timeskip, and we'll get to see what exactly Sushi has made out of BloodClan. ^^ And we'll finally learn the minor connection to Trail of Ashes. Hope you like what I have planned for BloodClan. ^^


	11. Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three years later...

Warriors Series 5.5: Echoes of the War  
Novella 1: Sushi's Society  
Chapter Ten

     “Sushi, are you awake yet?”

     The elderly she-cat lifted her head, blinking blearily. “Almost,” she muttered. She rose shakily to her paws, feeling her aged joints creak in protest.

     Tooth watched her with amusement sparkling in his yellow eyes. “Getting slow in your old age, Sushi?” he joked.

     Sushi gave a mock growl, swiping out at the gray tom with a sheathed paw. “Don't talk back to your elders, young cat,” she growled, though amusement trickled into her tone. “Old or not, I can still rip your ears off.”

     Tooth just purred his amusement. He waited as the elderly leader stepped away from her nest, shaking out her pelt. “Come on, you promised you'd speak to the trainees today,” he reminded her. “They're waiting for you.”

     She just grunted in reply, waving her tail dismissively as she followed Tooth out of the den.

     Three and a half greenleafs had passed since Sushi had become the leader of BloodClan. Since then, Sushi had made her nest exactly where she had when she was nursing her kits, in the abandoned twoleg building. The den was large enough to house multiple cats; she could see all of their nests laid out along the floor of the building. But it wasn't just any cats who lived in the building that had come to be known as the Council Home.

     As Sushi and Tooth stepped out of the building and into the alley beyond, she was greeted with a familiar sight. The ten cats of the Council were seated on the cobblestones, with the trainees sitting in front of them, listening to every word. All of them looked up as Sushi and Tooth approached. “Ah, Sushi, good of you to join us,” one of the Council members, Tooth's brother, joked. The gray tom had once been one of Scourge's guards, called Fang, but after Sushi had begun reforming the group, he had requested to take back his old name, Cobweb. Some of the guards had followed his example, but some, like Tooth, preferred to keep their guard names.

     Sushi settled in with the Council, sitting before the trainees. Six eager young faces stared back at her. At twelve moons old, Penny and Puddle were the oldest of the trainees. They were at the very end of their training. Bounce, Beetle, and Swipe were two moons younger than Tire and Flash's litter, and generally more rambunctious. The youngest was Chatter at seven moons old, who had started his training a little over a moon ago.

     “Well, let's see how you shape up,” Sushi mewed, whiskers twitching. She sat directly in front of the trainees, tail wrapped around her paws. The trainees drew themselves up taller, staring at their leader in awe. “Show me how much you can remember of our traditions. Recite the twelve laws of the Code of the Street.”

     Six pairs of ears shot up in interest. It was Chatter who spoke first. “Ooo, I remember! The first code is that no cat may harm another, except in defense of themselves or someone else.”

     Sushi dipped her head. “Very good. Next one?”

     “No cat may take what belongs to another cat,” Penny mewed immediately. The reddish-brown she-cat was smaller than her brother, with a soft pelt, but she possessed a sharp intelligence that made Sushi think she might be a good contender for the Council some day.

     Her brother Puddle spoke next. “The next law says that any dispute that cannot be solved peacefully among the concerned cats, must be brought to the Council and the leader to settle.”

     “And then, no cat may ignore a kit in danger or pain,” Bounce added.

     Swipe mewed, “No cat should waste food by killing prey they won't eat.”

     “Avoid the attention of twolegs – don't take their food unless desperate, and never draw their attention to the existence of the Society of the Street.”

     Sushi listened, her heart warm with pride. The young cats of her Society had learned well. “Well remembered,” she rasped. “What's next?”

     Penny started to speak, but Chatter cut her off. “Cats who can't hunt or care for themselves will live in the Home of Elders, and will be cared for by the trainees of the Society, as part of their training. Ooo, and the next one is that a cat becomes a trainee when they turn six moons old, and each trainee must live in the Council Home for their six moons of training, before they can become full self-reliants.”

     The red-brown tabby glared at Chatter a moment, before picking up the list. “A cat who comes to live in Twolegplace after they are over trainee age do not have to train as trainees if they don't want. But they won't be given the title of self-reliant unless they do, and they must allow any kits they may have to be trained as trainees.”

     “There must be a Council of ten cats at any given time,” Beetle mewed. “New Council members must be voted on by the Counil, and must be at least two leafbares old. They will advise the Leader and make important decisions for the Society.”

     Swipe mewed, “The Council and Leader will vote on all important decisions for the Society – each cat has one vote, but the leader's vote counts for three. They will vote on when trainees are ready to become self-reliants, whether a cat is qualified to be a border guard or a healer, who the next leader will be, and how to settle disputes between cats.”

     Sushi nodded. “Excellent. And the last law of our code?”

     It was Bounce who spoke now. “The Council cannot decide to have a cat killed for any crime, unless it is deemed absolutely necessary to prevent the cat from being a danger to others.”

     Sushi purred, rising to her paws. “Very well done, all of you.” She couldn't help but be proud, even if none of these young cats were her kin. They were the legacy of all that she had worked so hard to build, these last three greenleafs.

     There were approving murmurs from the other Council members. One lanky ginger she-cat stood, amusement sparking in her eyes. “They certainly listen better than we did at that age, huh Sushi?” she teased.

     Even though she knew the she-cat only meant it in good fun, Sushi couldn't help but flinch. It had been seasons since her vicious attack on Tally and her brother Drip, but she still felt guilty about it. As Tally reached down to nudge Penny playfully with her muzzle, Sushi could see the large tear in her ear, and the long-healed scars along her side.

     The other Council members also rose to their paws. A few of them were former members of Scourge's guard, who had decided to help Sushi make Twolegplace a better place to live. Snipe, Cobweb, and Tooth were among those. Tally hadn't been a guard, but she had suffered from the cruelty of the guards first-hand, and had proved to be intelligent and fiercely protective of the cats of Twolegplace, which made her invaluable as a member of the Council.

     Sushi turned her gaze from the older Council cats, looking instead at the younger cats. A proud purr escaped her as she gazed at three particular cats, mewing encouragement to the trainees. Sunny, Snuggle, and Shy were all Council members – they had helped Sushi come up with the idea of the Council in the first place. Shy was still quiet as ever, but he had gained a lot of confidence, and he had helped come up with a lot of the Code. Snuggle's compassion made him perfect for the Council, and Sunny had matured into an intelligent, kind, and courageous cat. Sushi couldn't be more proud of her.

     A dark tabby tom approached Sunny, touching noses with her before both cats rubbed muzzles, purring. Sniff was a member of the Council, as well as Sunny's mate. His mother Minty had returned to Twolegplace with her kits shortly after Sushi became leader. She didn't say much about what had happened to her mate Willie, only that she no longer wanted anything to do with him. Minty was an elder now, and all four of her kits had taken important positions in the Society. Icicle was one of the three healers, while Cloud and Snowflake were border guards.

     The last two Council members were the youngest, a pair of sisters named Sunbeam and Tawny. They had been young when Sushi started forming the Society, but their enthusiasm and their dedication to helping form the new laws had impressed Sushi enough to make them members of the Council.

     Penny's voice broke Sushi from her thoughts. “Are you going to watch our training today?” the young she-cat asked, watching her leader hopefully.

     Sushi shook off her thoughts. “I am,” she told the young she-cat. “I'll be watching you and your littermates particularly. Impress me today, and I'll get the Council to take a vote on whether you're ready to be self-reliants.”

     Both Penny and Puddle gaped at their leader, eyes blazed with joy. They bounded, joyful as kits, after their fellow trainees as the Council began leading them further down the alley. It was the duty of the Council to train the trainees of the Society; they were to be taught how to hunt, how to fight, how to avoid twolegs and navigate twolegplace safely. The trainees lived in the Council Home during their moons of training, though they could visit family and friends whenever they wanted. And for two young cats, Sushi got the feeling that they wouldn't be confined to the Council Home much longer.

     As she stared after the Council and the trainees, something bittersweet clenched her heart. She had a feeling that wasn't the only change coming to the Council Home soon.

**SCENEBREAK**

     After training finished for the day, Sushi decided to take a walk on her own. Her joints were stiff with age, and she couldn't move as fast as she used to, but she managed to keep up a steady pace as she swept across the edge of Twolegplace. As she neared one of the bigger entrances into Twolegplace from the outside, she slowed, gazing curiously at the rooftops. Sure enough, a pair of eyes glowed in the growing darkness, staring down at her. “Who's there?” a voice called down, friendly in tone.

     Sushi stepped out of the shadow of the alley, calling up, “It's me.”

     “Sushi!” The glow of the eyes disappeared for a moment. Then a dark gray tom began descending from the roof, leaping the last few tail-lengths to the ground. The scruffy tabby darted across the street, quickly reaching Sushi. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” For a moment, his ice-blue gaze filled with alarm. “Is something wrong?”

     “No, no, nothing's wrong Scruff,” Sushi assured the tom quickly. “I was just out for a walk and wanted to see how the borders were.” Scruff was one of the various border guards of the Street Society. There were four ranks that a fully trained adult cat could achieve in the society – self-reliant, border guard, healer, and Council member. The most general of these was self-reliant. Self-reliants were cats recognized as being fully able to hunt and fight, and to be able to take care of themselves. They hunted for their own prey, found their own dens, and lived alone, or with whatever friends and family they chose. No particular duties were asked of them, other than to follow the Code of the Streets, and defend their fellow Society members if need be.

     Border guards like Scruff required additional training from the existing border guards, after their training with the Council – it was the same for healers. Border guards were expected to patrol and keep an eye on the borders of Twolegplace. They would welcome any new cats into Twolegplace when they arrived, inform them about the Society, and direct them towards the Council Home so they could introduce themselves to the Council. They had to be able to fight, in case any cats coming into Twolegplace posed a threat, but mostly they served to welcome and inform newcomers, not to fend them off.

     Healers were similar to Clan medicine cats, with some exceptions. There wasn't just one at a time – there were generally a pawful of them at a time, spread out among different areas in Twolegplace so there was always a healer nearby if a cat needed one. Currently, there were three. Scraps was the first healer the Society'd had, and he was the oldest. He was the one who had trained Icicle and Bright, the other healers in the Society. They didn't speak as much to their ancestors, the Cats of the Stars, as much as medicine cats did, and there was no restriction on healers having mates and kits. Mostly, they used the herbs they could find beyond Twolegplace in order to heal the sick and injured.

     Being a member of the Council was the highest rank a cat could achieve, beyond becoming leader. Council members were highly respected, and highly influential in how the Society was run. They trained the young cats of the Society, they voted on all the important issues, and they decided on the new leader. The Society's leader had a lot of influence as well, but Sushi had wanted to make sure that the Council had enough power to temper the leader, while still giving the leader enough to be in charge. She had seen what happened when one cat held too much power, and she never wanted to see it again.

     Pushing her thoughts away, Sushi settled in beside Scruff, gazing out at Twolegplace. “It's funny,” she murmured. “I was so miserable here when Scourge was in power. But I still missed it after I left, even though my family was far safer in the forest. I'm a Twolegplace cat at heart – always have been, I guess.” She lowered her head. “It was always my destiny to come back to this place.”

     Scruff glanced at her, surprised. “Feeling sentimental tonight?” he teased lightly, though worry flashed in his ice-blue gaze.

     Sushi shook out her pelt. “I suppose,” she admitted. “Just thinking about how much has changed since I became leader.” She grew somber. “And how much blood had to be shed before it could happen.”

     Scruff was quiet for a moment as he gazed at Sushi. “You saved us. You know that, right?” he murmured. “When you turned us into the Society, you saved us from just being BloodClan for the rest of our lives. At least now, we protect each other, and the weak and elderly are cared for. Life is valued in our Society, the way it wasn't in BloodClan. And it's all thanks to you.”

     The leader stared at Scruff, surprised at how sincere the gruff tom sounded. She couldn't help but be touched by his words. She knew he was right – the Society was a group of peace, so different from BloodClan of old. It hadn't been easy to turn BloodClan into the Street Society either. Sushi had been careful about it, introducing change slowly, an act of mercy here, a suggestion of compassion there. But it still hadn't been enough for some cats. Frenzy and Viper had led a rebellion against Sushi with some of their supporters. After she had soundly defeated them and exiled them from Twolegplace, she had really started to change things. And now, three greenleafs later, the Society was flourishing, though the effort of casting out the traitors and protecting her Soceity for three greenleafs had cost her all but one of her lives.

     It wasn't all good news, though. Catflap had died not long after they returned to Twolegplace. Wrapper was gone too now, having died a few moons ago from an illness even Scraps couldn't save her from. She had lived a long life, though, and Sushi knew that she and their parents were watching the Society from the stars, safe and strong and happy.

     Sushi bumped her nose against Scruff's cheek, mewing, “Thank you for what you've said.” She pulled back, gazing at the scruffy tom proudly. “My daughter raised you well.”

     Scruff gazed back at her, his ice-blue gaze identical to his mother's. “Thank you, Sushi.”

     She glanced away from her daughter's son, looking back out into Twolegplace. She knew what had to happen next. And as much as it pained her to let go of all she'd accomplished, she knew it was time.

     And she knew that, for once, she had done enough.

**SCENEBREAK**

     “Everyone, gather!”

     It was a few days after the assessment of the trainees. The Council, the trainees, and a few self-reliants who'd wanted to attend were present. They were sitting around a garbage can inside the Council Home, which Sushi sat atop of for ceremonies.

     Penny and Puddle were sitting just in front of the garbage can, looking up at Sushi with wide eyes as she mewed, “The Council has concluded their vote. They have decided that these two young cats are ready to become self-reliant members of this Society.” She lifted her chin, beginning the ceremony. “With the power bestowed upon me, the leader of the Society of the Street, I ask that the cats here today stand as witness. The cats before me have completed the training, and have shown themselves to be brave, honest, and kind. We welcome them today as full self-reliants of this Society.”

     She gazed down at Penny first. “Penny, will you uphold the Code of the Street, and keep the peace of the street?”

     “I will,” the red-brown cat said clearly.

     “Your vow has been heard. Your cleverness and dedication will serve you well in the days to come. This Council now recognizes you as a self-reliant.” Penny bowed her head to Sushi, and Sushi bowed her head in return. Once she completed the ceremony for Penny, Sushi turned her attention next to her brother. “Puddle, will you uphold the Code of the Street, and keep the peace of the street?”

     The black-and-white tom gazed up at Sushi, blue eyes blazing with pride. “I will,” he promised.

     Sushi continued, “Your vow has been heard. Your patience and curiosity will serve you well in the days to come. This Council now recognizes you as a self-reliant.” The young tom dipped his head to Sushi, and she bowed her head back to him. When both cats lifted their heads again, Sushi could see that the new self-reliants were barely containing their pride. They departed back into the crowd, greeting their friends and family with cheerful mews.

     Sushi allowed them to celebrate for a little while, then gave a yowl for silence. Every cat fell silent, looking back at Sushi in surprise. “I have one more announcement to make,” she rasped, tucking her tail around her paws. “My last announcement, in fact.”

     Murmurs of surprise rose from the self-reliants, healers, and guards in the den, but her words came as no surprise to the Counil. They had spent days discussing Sushi's proposal, and had given her their approval. She again felt the bittersweet mix of relief and regret as she continued, “I am stepping down as the leader of the Society of the Street. I will be retiring to the Home of Elders, to live out the last of my days in peace.”

     The other cats continued to express surprise, but Sushi ignored them. Her gaze finally seeked out on cat from the crowd. Scraps was just as old as she was, but she knew he wouldn't retire while he could still help other cats as a healer. The elderly tom sat beside Snuggle and Shy; when he caught her gaze, he gaze Sushi an encouraging nod.

     Sushi waved her tail for silence, continuing, “The Council and I have voted upon the next leader. Your new leader will be Sunny!”

     Sunny was seated in the crowd near the rest of the Council. As Sushi's gaze fell upon her daughter, she could see that Sunny's family was seated with her. Her mate Sniff sat beside her, pressing his muzzle against her cheek and murmuring his congratulations to her. Sunny's three kits were also seated nearby. Scruff was there, gazing back at his mother with pride. His sister Soot sat beside him. The tiny black she-cat looked eerily like Scourge, with her tiny frame, night-black pelt, and her one white paw. But her eyes were Sushi's golden eyes, and they held a warmth that Scourge's never had.

     Sunny's third kit sat a little apart from the others. Sushi felt a prickle of concern as she finally saw the large pale gray she-cat, seated a little away from her parents, her golden gaze fixed straight ahead. Sushi never did understand why Sunny had named her daughter Scorch, after the name Scourge had given her as a kit. And while she loved Scorch as much as any of Sunny's kits, there was something about Scorch's ambition that made her uneasy. Still, she didn't think it was anything she had to worry about.

     Returning her gaze to Sunny, Sushi called out, “Sunny, step forward.”

     The tiny ginger tabby rose to her paws, padding through the crowd until she stood just before the garbage can. Sunny kept herself composed, but Sushi could see the excitement and pride in her gaze. But she also knew that Sunny had earned every moment of this, and all these seasons later, Sushi believed her daughter was finally ready to be a leader.

     “Sunny,” she mewed clearly, “Do you promise to lead the Society of the Street with compassion, intelligence, and caution, keeping the peace on the street and protecting the cats of Twolegplace, for nine lifetimes?”

     Sunny dipped her head, fierce conviction in her tone as she mewed, “I promise.”

     “Very well,” Sushi said. “Then tonight, I and a guard will escort you to the Moonstone. I will tell the Cats of the Stars of my retirement, and you will be granted the nine lives of a leader. May you lead this Society well, my daughter.”

     A cheer rose up from the crowd. “Sunny! Sunny! Sunny!” The cats in the Council Home surrounded Sunny, cheering for her in proud, joyful voices. Sushi remained on the garbage can, watching with pride.

     It had been a hard road. She had killed and hurt so many cats for the sake of her family, and her first five leafbares had been lived in fear and hatred. But through it all, she had protected her family to any end. Now, all of Twolegplace was her family. She had taken the cruel system of BloodClan and torn it down piece by piece, and now the Society of the Street made sure every cat lived in peace, not fear. All of her sacrifices and suffering had led to this. Finally, she felt like it was all worth it. She had been forgiven. She had done enough, and now, she could rest.

     And then, when her time was done, she would be with the cats she loved for the rest of eternity.

END OF NOVELLA ONE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, so we've finally reached the end of Sushi's Society. ^^ I'm sorry for the extreme infodumps in this chapter, but I wanted to get out the needed information about the Street Society. Anyway, I'll post the allegiances for this chapter, as well as a document with the Code of the Street, in case anyone was still confused.
> 
> So yeah, Sushi has turned BloodClan into the Street Society. Infodumps aside, I hope you enjoyed learning about the Society and how they work. It was fun coming up with the structure of this group, and the various ranks. I hope you liked it as well.
> 
> It's a bit sad, being done with this story and these characters. I loved writing about Sushi and her family, building their characters, and it's weird being done with them so quickly. But I really should get back to Trail of Ashes.
> 
> Speaking of Trail of Ashes, I did promise that this story would have some connection to what's going on in Trail of Ashes, and that it would be revealed in this chapter. For those of you who caught on - yes, the Scorch in this chapter, SUnny's daughter, is the same Scorch who is a member of Breeze's group of rogues in Trail of Ashes. I know, it's a really small connection, but I did say the connection would be small. And it might not seem so small later *hint hint*, as we might see more of Scorch's character and importance to the story later, as we learn more about Breeze's rogues. As for how she went from a self-reliant of the Society to one of Breeze's rogues - let's just say she tried to take power she thought she deserved and was exiled for it. I'll hold off on saying more, in case I go into it more in the story later.
> 
> This particular chapter takes place around the time of the Dark Battle for the forest Clans, by the way. As of this chapter, Scorch, Soot, and Scruff (I had to make them all S- names, since Sunny's litter was, and her mate was an S- too, I just had to. XD) are 2 1/2 years old. By the time we see Scorch in Waning Moon, she's about 4 years old. Sushi is dead by then, as is Scraps, safe and happy among the Cats of the Stars.
> 
> Anyway, I hope y'all enjoyed this story as much as I did, I will have the allegiances and Code posted soon, and then it's back to Trail of Ashes. :D


	12. Allegiances of the Society

Sushi's Society Allegiances

**SOCIETY OF THE STREET**

 

**LEADER**

SUSHI - large gray tabby she-cat with golden eyes and a tooth-spiked collar

**COUNCIL**

SNIPE - tortoiseshell tom with a tooth-spiked collar  
COBWEB - gray tom with yellow eyes and a tooth-spiked collar  
TOOTH - gray tom with yellow eyes and a tooth-spiked collar  
TALLY - lanky ginger she-cat with white legs and dark amber eyes  
SUNNY – tiny flame-colored tabby she-cat with one white paw and ice-blue eyes  
SNUGGLE – large black-and-white tom with green eyes  
SHY – sleek black tom with golden eyes  
SNIFF – dark gray tabby tom with a perpetual sniffle  
SUNBEAM – cream tabby she-cat with white paws  
TAWNY – tawny she-cat with a torn ear and green eyes

**HEALERS**

SCRAPS - scrawny pale gray-and-white tom with pale golden eyes  
ICICLE – sturdy, sleek-furred, pale gray tom with blue eyes  
BRIGHT – pale cream tabby she-cat with amber eyes

**BORDER GUARDS**

REDWOOD – huge ginger tabby tom with yellow eyes and a tooth-spiked collar  
BOX - scrawny brown tabby tom  
TIRE - black she-cat with yellow eyes and one ear torn away  
SNOWFLAKE – tiny, thick-furred white she-cat with yellow eyes  
CLOUDY – pale gray-and-white she-cat with blue eyes  
SCRUFF – scruffy dark gray tabby tom with ice-blue eyes  
HUBCAP – dark gray tom with pale green eyes  
DOVE – pale gray she-cat with green eyes

**SELF-RELIANTS**

GLASS - large dark gray tabby tom with pale green eyes   
TUMBLE - tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with one green and one blue eye  
DIRTYFUR - brown speckled she-cat with green eyes  
BRISTLE - large spiky-furred black tom with dark amber eyes  
SONG - a tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with green eyes  
MAX - plump ginger tom with gray eyes  
SHADOW - dark gray tom with golden eyes  
DRIP - small gray-and-white tom with pale blue eyes  
FLASH – bright ginger tom with yellow eyes  
ZOOM – skinny black-and-white tom with a tooth-spiked collar and yellow eyes  
ASH - pale gray tabby she-cat with green eyes  
BLINK – ginger tabby tom with a tooth-spiked collar and one gray eye  
SPECKLEFUR – speckled brown tabby tom with green eyes  
BARB – spiky-furred black she-cat with pale green eyes  
PRICKLE – spiky-furred light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes  
SCORCH – huge pale gray she-cat with golden eyes  
SOOT – tiny black she-cat with one white paw and golden eyes

**TRAINEES**

PENNY – red-brown tabby she-cat with thick fur  
PUDDLE – black-and-white tom with blue eyes  
BOUNCE – gray tabby tom  
BEETLE – silver tabby tom with yellow eyes  
SWIPE – scrawny gray she-cat with green eyes  
CHATTER – brown tabby tom with golden eyes and a white chest

**ELDERS**

MINTY - dark gray she-cat with pale blue eyes  
BURROW - spotted gray tom with green eyes  
SNOWY - fluffy white she-cat pale blue eyes  
RAT - scruffy brown tabby she-cat with green eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, as promised, here are the allegiances for Sushi's Society, as of the start of the final chapter. ^^ A lot of changes from the first allegiances, as you can see.
> 
> There's a ton of cats who have been born, and if I ever get to their ref sheets I'll go into who's related to who, but mostly I just wanted to show the ranking system.
> 
> I'll post the Code of the Street in a moment, and after that, Sushi's Society is complete and it's back to Trail of Ashes.


	13. Code of the Street

Code of the Street:

1\. No cat may attack or harm another unless in self-defense or defense of someone else.  
2\. No cat may take what belongs to another cat.  
3\. All disputes that cannot be solved peacefully must be brought to the Council and Leader to settle.  
4\. No cat may ignore a kit in danger or pain.  
5\. No cat is to waste food by killing prey they will not eat.  
6\. Avoid the attention of Twolegs whenever possible. Do not take their food unless you are desperate, and do not draw their attention to the activities or existence of the Society.  
7\. Cats who can no longer hunt for themselves will live in the Home of Elders, and will be cared for by the trainees as part of their training.  
8\. When a cat turns six moons old, they must live in the Council Home as trainees and train for six moons to become self-reliants.  
9\. A cat who comes to live in Twolegplace after they are past trainee age do not have to undergo training, but they will not be given the title of self-reliant unless they do, and they must be willing to have their kits trained when the time comes.  
10\. There must be a Council of ten cats at any given time. New Council members must be voted on by the Council, and must be at least two leafbares old.   
11\. The Council and leader will vote on all important things for the Society, and the leader's vote counts for three votes. They vote on when trainees are to be recognized as self-reliants, who is allowed to be a border guard or healer (along with votes from standing guards and healers), who the next leader will be, and how to settle disputes between cats.  
12\. The Council cannot decide to have a cat killed for any crime, unless it is deemed absolutely necessary to prevent the cat from being a danger to others.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the Code of the Street, written out in full. Obviously, Sushi took a lot of inspiration from the Warrior Code while creating this code, but there are definite differences. Hope you think this is interesting.
> 
> This concludes Sushi's Society. Now, when I find time, it's back to Trail of Ashes.


End file.
